All I Want
by BadassDixon
Summary: Carrie Corbett didn't know where she was getting into when she started working at Fangtasia and knew Eric Northman. And an old friend of her brother, Alcide Herveaux, who happens to be a werewolf, won't be exactly happy with Carrie working with vampires. Eric/OC/Alcide.
1. Chapter 1: Bad Things

**_Synopsis_****: **_Carrie Corbett was used to deal with supernatural beings, but nothing could prepare her for her new handsome, tall, Viking vampire boss, Eric Northman. She is adapting to her new life as a Fangtasia worker when she reencounters her old high school love, the guy she had a crush on and who never looked at her as anything else than a child, Alcide Herveaux, who doesn't like Carrie's new employment. To make her life even better, someone who was chasing her new co-workers seem to get suddenly interested in her, and surely she shouldn't be thinking how to decide between her sexy, mysterious vampire boss or her kind, caring werewolf friend. Heart problems are strange. _

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**_AN: _**_Hi everybody! This is the third story I publish here, but my first True Blood one. Before we get started, I want you to know, that this 23 chapter-length story doesn't follow any plot of the show, I just used the things I liked the most, the characters in the moment where I prefer them (for example, no Warlow, no Willa, no Nicole here) to create the scenario where my OC, Carrie, will live. You'll see in which moment of their lives are the canon characters as the story go on. This is a rated M story because, well, this is True Blood, my darlings. Vampires, sex and blood, so be ready. With that said, I hope you enjoy the reading. Reviews and PM are always welcome! _

_When Eric and Pam talk in Swedish I used an online translator… if any of you know Swedish and you see any mistake, let me know! The translations will be always at the end of the chapter._

_True Blood's rights aren't mine nor any of the characters. But all the OCs are mine._

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**_Chapter I: Bad Things_**

_When you came in the air went out._

_And every shadow filled up with doubt._

_I don't know who you think you are,_

_But before the night is through,_

_I wanna do bad things with you._

- _Bad Things_, Jace Everett.

"_Have I ever told you that you are completely crazy, Carrie?_" Charlie's voice said, my best friend, through the speaker of my phone. I laughed quietly as I walked, the sun setting behind me.

"Yes, Charlie, you've said that so many times I lost count." I sighed as I hurried. It was nearly eight o'clock, and I didn't want to be late.

"_Look, honey, I'm in favor of integration, civil rights for vampires and all that, but working with them? That's an entirely different thing. You can get yourself in danger, Carrie._"

I sighed. My friend Charlotte was great, and she considered herself very open-minded and progressive, but she wasn't it as much as she thought.

"Charlie, I need a job. Also, I'm just going to an interview, I don't think they'll give it to me."

Charlie laughed from the other line.

"_Are you kidding? If you show up, the job is yours. But I ask you not to do so. I'm afraid they do something to you._"

"Look, I know it worries you that in the moment I walk through the door they pounce on me like a pack of blood thirsty dogs, but that's why Tru Blood is for. Also, if I see something weird, I'll be the first one to get the hell out of there, okay?"

Charlie sighed from the other line, irritated.

"_You're a loggerhead_." She growled. "_Okay, do whatever you want. But call me when you end the interview. I'll walk you home by phone_."

I laughed at her protective side. Charlie and I were friends since we were five years old, and we protected at each other in high school. Us against the world, that was our motto. But I had always been more tolerant than her, and while she spent three weeks sleeping with a crucifix under her pillow when vampires came out of the coffin, I wasn't surprised. I had always known they were there, along with many other things. Simply, I hadn't said anything about it. I didn't want anybody to call me 'insane'.

"Done." I promised, smiling. "Talk to you later."

"_Don't get bit_."

I hung up with a laugh just when I visualized the bar. Big red letters were off, but _Fangtasia_ could be read clearly. Fang-tasia. Haha. Those vampires, always joking around.

I went to the club and, hesitating, I knocked on the door. I took a deep breath and readjusted my skinny jeans; I repositioned the V-neckline of my white t-shirt. A window opened in the door while I was smoothing my hair with my fingers and a head of a woman with short blonde hair, in her thirties, definitely human, appeared behind it. I raised my eyebrows at her look of distrust.

"What do you want? The bar's closed." She said shrilly, and I used my most charming 'I'm-a-sweetie-for-God's-sake-hire-me' smile.

"I'm here for a job interview."

The window closed and I stood there, puzzled, wondering what I should do. I was going to knock again when the window opened.

"Name?" The woman said, she seemed to tiptoe to be able to look at me through the window.

"Ah, Carrie Corbett."

The window closed again and I frowned, but the door opened, she smiled widely. Her face reminded me a little to a frog who had abused of her makeup. She wore very shiny clothes and at least two sizes small, judging by how tight it looked, although she was very thin.

"Come in, come in..." she said, motioning with her arm to me to enter the room. I obeyed, with a smile, and looked around. Everything was very... _vampiric,_ in the theatrical sense of the word. The walls were red and the furniture was black, with a vintage touch. Although, of course, who knew how old was the one who had furnished the place. At the front of the room, there was a small stage with a padded black wooden throne in the center. I raised an eyebrow, wondering who would sit there. "Sorry, you never know what kind of people is going to come over here, you know?"

I shrugged and smiled again.

"Don't worry. It's normal. You're alone?"

She shrugged.

"Awake, yes. I'm Ginger, by the way. Want a drink?"

I extended my smile.

"An iced tea would be great." I said, following her to the bar. "I see you have a lot of responsibility, Ginger. If they leave you in charge of everything while they sleep..."

Ginger smiled, shaking a hand dismissively.

"Oh, well, if they hire you I won't be alone anymore. I'm sure we'll become great friends." She said, smiling. I smiled back, not so sure. The fang marks she had in the neck, arms, chest and legs let me know the type of employee she was. The type I was _not_ going to be.

"I hope so." I said to Ginger, giving the first sip of my iced tea. "Well, and who's the Boss?"

Ginger opened her eyes, resting her elbows on the bar.

"Oh, tell me when you see him. His name is Eric, and he is..."

"I am very curious to know what I am, Ginger." A soft male voice said. "Continue."

I turned to find a six-foot tall vampire, blond and with broad shoulders, who looked at us raising an eyebrow. I turned toward him with raised eyebrows, trying to keep my jaw from dropping. _My God, what a man_. He had blue eyes, broad forehead and short dark blond hair slicked back, his thin but well-defined lips formed a smirk adorning his face. He wore a black shirt and jeans of the same color, with a leather jacket. I bit my lip for a second while I looked him up and down as nonchalantly as I could. Across the bar, Ginger mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Excuse me?" The vampire said, that Eric guy, I guessed, as he came closer to us. I smiled.

"I think Ginger was going to say that you're a good boss who treats his employees well, and that she could not think of a better job."

Eric's eyes were fixed on me, and I swallowed. His pale skin seemed almost chiseled by a Scandinavian God or something like that.

"And you are?"

I smiled widely, I wanted a job in his bar, after all.

"Carrie Corbett." I said, reaching out to the vampire, not quite sure if they shook hands. Apparently not, because Eric looked at my hand and then looked up at my face with a raised eyebrow.

"That name should mean something to me?" Eric said.

"She's one of the candidates for the employment." a feminine, seductive and low voice said from the other side of the bar. "She has an interview today."

Eric turned to the woman, and I tiptoed to look over his shoulder at who had spoken. It was a blonde vampire, with long hair, blue eyes and huge lips, with a sarcastic expression in her eyes. She was wearing jeans and sky-high heels, a pale pink silk blouse showed her figure perfectly. Is that all vampires were beautiful and the sexy as hell?

"And why was I not informed?" Eric asked, his voice was soft, but had a threatening hint. The woman raised a well-shaped eyebrow.

"I left a note on your desk three days ago. You've been too busy to..."

"_Nrdisrespect mig, Pam_!" Eric said in a language I did not recognize, but the anger in his voice was palpable. The vampire woman nodded and turned around, disappearing through a door. That was when I saw that an Afro-American vampire woman was behind her, and followed her without a word. Eric turned to me.

"If you can follow me to my office, Miss Corbett..." he said in a bored voice, turning and starting to walk into a room in the background. I raised an eyebrow at his back; from behind he was flawless as well. I looked at Ginger, who nodded and whispered:

"I told you so."

I smiled and saw that Eric had turned around, looking first at Ginger and then at me with a questioning look. I cleared my throat and followed him. Eric opened the door to his office and waited for me to go in first, holding the door. I smiled shyly, but he, again, just looked bored. I heard him inhaling when I passed in front of him and when I turned to look at him, moving away the black hair from my face, his eyes were narrowed, his eyebrows a bit furrowed. Eric coughed as he walked past me and sat in the chair behind his desk.

"What was my faithful employee talking about?" Eric said, moving some papers on his desk until he found a folder with what I recognized as my resume in it.

"Excuse me?" I said, not understanding him. Eric raised a blond eyebrow at me once again.

"Ginger has said 'I told you so'. What did she mean?"

I blinked a few times and then I opened my mouth, hesitating.

"Did you hear that, Mr...?"

"Northman. Eric Northman. And yes, I've heard it." He sighed, and said in a tedious voice. "Miss Corbett, I am vampire, and as such I have a special set of skills as a keen ear, superhuman strength and speed, etc… I assume you have not dealt with vampires before?"

I cleared my throat, assimilating the information.

"No. Well, yeah... not really, but..."

Eric raised his eyebrow a bit.

"Which of the two answers do we pick, Miss Corbett?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Interviews always made me nervous, but this one was being extremely difficult.

"Well, Mr. Northman, I had been working, until a few weeks ago, at a bar here, in Shreveport, called _The Red Wolf_. As you may know, it's a place for..."

"Werewolves." Eric said. "I do not see how that information will help you to get a job in my bar."

"You haven't let me finish." I said, and he raised his other eyebrow. "There is where Shreveport wolves hang out, and some humans too." I shrugged. "Wolves' girlfriends or people who don't know where they're getting into. Anyway, I had been working there as a waitress for about a year, the pack master is a friend of my brother and knew I needed a job, he got me that one."

Eric straightened his back.

"Are we talking about Alcide Herveaux?"

I furrowed my brow, a little shocked.

"Do you know Alcide?"

Eric nodded quietly.

"I guess you could say that... we maintain a friendly business relationship."

I raised my eyebrows, pretty surprised.

"Really? I thought werewolves and vampires hated each other."

"And it is so, dear Miss Corbett. But Alcide has the power to avail me very occasionally. And we have a mutual friend." Eric bit her lip. "Why did you quit working there?"

"I was fired."

"May I ask why?"

"I fought with a client." Eric raised his eyebrows, demanding more details. "It was a werewolf, Rikki, and I refused to serve her the free drinks she was demanding. She did that yellow-eyes shit and said 'I'll tear you apart.'" I said, imitating the raspy voice of the wolf. "I threw a beer to her face, she jumped the counter, and I was kicked out the bar for the rest of my life. Werewolves like a lot that 'lifetime' things."

Eric chuckled, and I could see his smile was nice too. I noticed how I blushed and I swallowed hard, trying to stop it.

"Yes, wolves are greatly exaggerated. And in the time you worked for them, no vampire crossed your way?"

"No, Mr. Northman."

Eric moved so fast that I hadn't time to sink it in before I had him at an inch of my face. I looked into his eyes, his gaze piercing me. Or trying to.

"Are you being honest, Miss Corbett?"

I nodded.

"Of course, Mr. Northman." Eric looked confused and tilted his head, half-smile on his face.

"Because if you wasn't, you would say it, am I right?"

"I can't see why I have to lie to you."

Eric returned to his desk muttering something in that strange language. It seemed... Swedish? No idea.

"See, Mr. Northman, of course I've heard of the skills of the vampires. But I don't really trust wolves to tell the truth. You said yourself that they are greatly exaggerated." I bit my lip, hesitant to raise my next question.

"Miss Corbett, I can see a jammed question on your beautiful throat from here." Eric said as he returned to settle in his chair. I blushed visibly and Eric broadened his smile. He looked like he was having a great time with me. I ignored the compliment (I didn't know whether to like it or worry about it) and I half smiled.

"I was wondering if it is true that vampires can hypnotize people."

"We can... _usually_. We call it _glamouring._" I frowned, but I did not dare to ask anything else. "And Mr. Herveaux is informed of your dismissal, and this interview?"

I furrowed my brow a bit.

"Eh... As I said, he's a friend of my brother. I've known him since childhood, but my brother hadn't seen him for a few years until we moved to Shreveport a little more than a year ago. I haven't seen him in a long time, years. I don't inform him of every step I take in my life, but I thanked him for getting me the job through my brother, and for that matter, I neither inform my brother of everything I do."

"And your parents, Miss Corbett?"

Every time he said 'Miss Corbett' a chill went down my spine.

"They live in Jackson."

Eric nodded, eyeing my resume.

"Okay, and for which job are you coming?"

"Ah, I'm interested in the assistant job. By phone I was told that it would consist on doing daytime routine tasks that you can't do. I think I'd be good in that."

Eric nodded.

"Miss Corbett, I must say I found you very interesting. We will call you."

I nodded and stood up, Eric walked before me to open the door.

"Mr. Northman, is against me to have worked in a werewolf bar?"

Eric smiled.

"Knowing why you were fired, I would say no."

I smiled and left the office, Eric inhaled again when I walked past him, and I noticed how the hair on my neck got up.

* * *

When I left _Fangtasia_ I lit a cigarette, looking at the sky, completely dark now. The vampire bar was removed from the core of the city, and my bike was in the garage, so I had to go like I came; walking. I squared my shoulders and started to walk down the side of the road, thinking about the strangest interview ever. I got _The Red Wolf_ job without any interview, Alcide had interceded for me, and, being the pack master, no one could deny his requests. Also, I was very good at my job. I'm good at serving people, I'm friendly, funny, I smile a lot and I listen to the customers who need to talk. But there are limits. I vaguely wondered if Alcide had heard something about my dismissal. I didn't think so, because if so, he would have called Ethan, my brother, and he would have called me to give me a lecture.

"Hey, you" a voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my head over my shoulder, only to see a group of four boys about twenty feet away. Human, thankfully. I decided to ignore them.

"I'm talkin' to ya, fangbanger!" Another guy shouted, and I hurried. Maybe I wasn't so lucky that they were humans.

"What's it? Ya don't like your own species?" Another voice yelled, and I was surprised to hear it closer. I turned around again. They were definitely closer.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted over my shoulder, and I heard his footsteps quickening. My heart started beating a mile a minute and I started running, throwing the cigarette to the floor. Wearing high heels, I knew they were going to catch me. And so it was, quickly a body rammed me, throwing me to the ground. My face hit the asphalt and I felt it burn.

"What? Ya don't like bein' touched by a livin' man?" The boy I had over me said, clutching my ass so hard it hurt. I turned quickly and hit a punch with all my strength; my hand hurt terribly, but I took advantage of the distraction to get up again and take off my shoes, I ran barefoot through the floor, heels in hand.

Soon, a tug on my hair made me stop suddenly, with a cry of pain. I turned, still screaming, with a shoe in my hand and hit him with all my strength. I froze when I saw that the heel of my shoe had penetrated the neck of my assailant, who looked at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, my God..." I mumbled, pulling the heel off his neck. A stream of blood left his body and the boy fell to his knees, I cried, frightened. "Oh, God! Sorry!"

"You bitch..." Another of them said, jumping to me and hitting me in the face with all his strength, I fell down and hit my head, something cracked. My jaw was on fire. I was half unconscious, but I was still feeling the pain, they were kicking my stomach and my legs, making me whimper, but my body didn't respond. I tried to move to protect the soft tissues of the body, my face, whatever, but I couldn't. I fell into a cloud of red pain and darkness while I listened to my own moans. Suddenly, I heard a scream, and I had to stop and think if it was mine. No, it wasn't.

I heard quick steps and cries of fear, after that some crunches and some sort of animal roar. Something warm and wet fell on my face; I closed my eyes as I felt another person's blood entering my mouth, mixed with my own.

Cold arms slid under me and lifted me in the air, I whined, everything hurt, I probably had a broken rib. Probably more than one. I noticed a sudden movement and I whimpered again, a change in the atmosphere around me surprised me a lot. Suddenly, I was on a soft and cool surface.

"Open your mouth, Miss Corbett." A distant voice said, but it was vaguely familiar. I obeyed, without thinking. A mild liquid fell on my tongue; it was sweet, thick and generated an incredible response in my body. With great effort, I raised my hands to find the source of where the liquid came, I grabbed the cold wrist with the little strength I had left and pressed it against my mouth, drinking directly from the open flesh. The more I drank, the more I wanted to drink, and I heard a distant moan that didn't seem of pain.

"Shhh..." the voice said, and pulled the wrist away from my mouth slowly, I growled, but I couldn't do anything to get it back. "Bedtime. When you wake up, you will feel better."

As if more than advice it would have been an order, I closed my eyes and I fell into a confused sleep.

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**_Translations: _**

_Nrdisrespect mig, Pam!- _Don't disrespect me, Pam!

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**_AN: _**_So this was chapter 1! I will post a chapter a week or so, maybe two depending on the week. Hope you like it!_


	2. Chapter 2: Wake Up

**_AN: _**_In case you didn't notice, you'll have a piece of a song in the beginning of every chapter… Consider them as the _All I Want_ Soundtrack. Oh, and thanks for all the follows and the favorites, remember that this author really likes reviews!_

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**_Chapter II: Wake Up_**

_Strawberries, cherries_

_And an angel's kiss in spring,_

_My summer wine is really _

_Made from all these things_

_- Summer Wine, _Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon.

I stretched my back still with my eyes closed. God, I felt great. I felt something cool and wet on my calf and I thought it was Elvis again, my dog, licking my legs. I suddenly opened my eyes. Elvis had stayed in Jackson with my parents. I looked down at my feet only to see Eric Northman grabbing my ankle, holding my leg up, licking the blood from my calf. I winced, moving away from him.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed, blushing, and Eric looked at me with a raised eyebrow. The memories started coming into my head. The four vandals, the hitting, the screaming... that liquid so delicious. "It was you." I whispered, eyes wide open. "You saved me and gave me... what was it?"

"My blood." Eric said, looking my bloody legs. They were all I had bloodstained so I figured, with a shudder, he had licked my face and arms, and who knows what else.

"Your blood?" I said, kneeling on the bed. The white sheets were stained red, the room looked more like a basement, there were no windows, the walls were gray and just a few paintings adorned the bedroom, a closet and a bed were the only furniture. "Really?"

I looked myself up and down, _someone_ (I preferred not to think who it was) had removed my clothes and had put on me a T-shirt of the bar that said '_Fangtasia_' in large letters, and below, in smaller letters '_night begins with a bite_'.

"Yes, and I must say that thanks to it you are in one piece, no broken bones or internal bleeding. Don't worry if you feel a bit euphoric or stoned, my blood is pretty strong."

I frowned.

"V can heal?"

Eric nodded.

"I'm afraid so, Carrie. We drank blood of the other, so I guess there's no problem if I call you Carrie, right?"

I blinked, perplexed, and I bit my lip hard.

"Eric, did you drink my blood?" I said, crawling up to him. He smiled and reached out to touch my hair, but I declined, moving away.

"Only what was out of the body. I haven't bitten you."

I nodded and got close again, I sat next to him.

"I think I killed one of those guys." I whispered, letting go the thought that haunted me.

"Yes, you did." Eric said, taking a lock of my hair that was falling over my face and putting it back in its place, I left him this time, basically because my mind was far away from there. "And I killed the rest. Please, let's not betray each other, shall we? I've already taken care of everything."

I looked at Eric's face, for some reason he seemed more handsome than the last time I had seen him. His eyes were bluer, his hair more blond, his skin more perfect. His mouth was so tempting that I almost pounced on him.

"I agree." I whispered, looking at his mouth, biting my lip. He smiled. "Eric, are there any other side effects from drinking your blood beside the euphoria and buzz?"

Eric laughed.

"Well, you will notice an increase in your libido and you'll have funny dreams with me. Besides, your eyes, your ears and your smell will sharpen, and others will find you more attractive."

I put my hands on my face and I fell backwards, until I lay on the bed. My God, Charlie's warnings now were taking a new direction... _Charlie!_ If she hadn't called the police yet, it would be a miracle.

"Oh, god, where's my phone?" I said, rising abruptly. Everything started to spin around me, as if I was drunk, and I giggled at the feeling. Eric got up and grabbed me by the shoulders; his touch sent a shiver down my spine.

"It's here." Eric said, sitting on the bed and giving me my cell phone. "It didn't stop ringing, so in the end I picked it up. It was your friend Charlotte."

I opened my eyes as much as I could, looking at him incredulous.

"You have talked with Charlie? What did you say to her?"

Eric flopped on the bed; I could see he wore other clothes. A gray shirt and slacks, that looked on him like... _no, Carrie, focus_. That damn blood.

"I explained the situation to her. I mean, you'd come to an interview in my bar and you left the phone in here. I told her you'll call her when you got it back."

I unlocked the phone and blinked in surprise.

"Five in the morning? Is this right?"

"I'm afraid so, Carrie."

"I gotta go home." I said, getting up.

"I recommend you not walk back home with so little clothing. I can't go out and save you in the daylight. I will call you a taxi." Eric said, pulling his phone from his pocket, still laying. "By the way, I think you'll be pleased to know that the job is yours."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and waited for him to stop talking with the taxi company.

"You give me the job?"

"Yes, but there are some things to discuss. Some of your tasks will be daytime errands, but I also want you to work in my bar as a waitress on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays nights. I am generous with salaries, Carrie."

I blinked a few times, watching the vampire as he sat.

"I accept it."

"Very well. First order." Eric said, giving me an envelope. "Your CV says that you have your own vehicle, is it true?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I gotta go tomorrow... today, to get my bike from the garage."

"Very well, then take this to the bar Merlotte's in Bon Temps. You know it?"

"Yes, I've never gone, but I've seen it from the road."

"Perfect. You have to give this to Sam, the owner, from me. Sam needed my help to solve a problem with vampires in the area. I worked it out, and now he owes me a favor."

"Which favor?"

Eric smiled.

"I need Sam to find someone. I know he has good... smell. A human has learned things he shouldn't know about, and fled into the woods."

"What things?"

Eric rolled his eyes.

"He has some bank account passwords of Pam and myself."

"Who is Pam?"

"She's my associate. You saw her yesterday, and she spoke to you over the phone."

Ah, so the blonde vampire was Pam.

"What will you do once you find the human?"

Eric took a deep breath, as if he was trying to calm down.

"You know, considering that I can't glamour you, you shouldn't ask so many questions. Your work is your work. You just do it. And I trust you to be discreet and keep your mouth shut."

I swallowed.

"I understand, but I don't want to take part in a murder."

"I think you've already done it." Eric said with a smirk, and I grimaced. "But I don't want to get my hands dirty with the metaphorical or literal blood of this man. We will make him forget."

"What's in the envelope?"

"A photo of the man and a garment of his."

I frowned.

"A garment? The smell thing was literal? Is that Sam guy a werewolf?"

Eric sighed as he gave my purse to me, so I took it and stood up.

"Yes, yes and no. It's more interesting than a werewolf."

"A shapeshifter?"

Eric frowned.

"How do you know of the existence of shapeshifters?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I know, let's leave it there."

Eric looked me straight in the eyes, as if trying to decipher something and could not.

"The conversation is not over." He said. "But the sun is raising and I have to go to rest."

I nodded and went to the door, ready to go.

"Tell Sam to call me when he finds him, or bring him here, or call you." Eric said, throwing me a phone, I caught it on the fly. I was surprised by how quickly I had moved. "This is your work's phone. The number is recorded in the memory as well as the bar's, mine and Pam. Don't be naughty calling your boyfriend."

I nodded.

"I won't, not that there is such thing as a boyfriend to call." I said. "And if Sam calls me, what am I supposed to do with that guy?"

"Call me. Always, when you don't know what to do, call me. With practice you will know how to decide what I want you to do."

I sighed and opened the door, there were some stairs going up.

"Carrie." Eric said, and I turned to look at him while he unbuttoned his shirt. I swallowed. "You weren't surprised when I told you that I can not glamour you." This man had a great virtue to ask questions without actually asking them.

"It's because I expected it. I know I'm not normal." I said, and got out of there before he took the shirt off. That blood was so fucking strong.


	3. Chapter 3: The Simple Things In Life

**_AN: _**_Hello, my beautiful readers! Thanks for the reviews, the follows and the favorites, and I encourage you to take a look to my other two stories, a The Walking Dead one and a Criminal Minds one (Yes, I am promoting myself). With that said, let's go to the story… somebody wanted to see some Alcide?_

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**_Chapter III: The Simple Things In Life _**

_Now nothing seems as strange _

_As when the leaves began to change _

_Or how we thought those days would never end _

_Sometimes I'll hear that song _

_And I'll start to sing along _

_And think man I'd love to see that girl again._

_- All Summer Long, _Kid Rock.

I got out of the taxi and went running to my house, happy to say goodbye to the driver, who had been throwing be disapproving glances through the mirror, probably thinking I was a fangbanger. Not that I cared, but it's weird that somebody judge you like that without talking to you. Anyway, my house was waiting for me. It was small, with white walls, and was just outside Shreveport. It was perfect for me, with its porch, its garden, its white fence... I unlocked the door and sighed, not quite believing how strange it had been the day before. Because of the repairing sleep (literally) that I had enjoyed in _Fangtasia_, now I felt energized and ready to start the day. The problem is that no one had started the day yet.

I went upstairs and took off the promo shirt, putting it in the laundry basket, and then I went straight into the shower. Warm water felt really good, it relaxed even more all my muscles and took all the blood away. The only problem was that every time I closed my eyes, I saw Eric coming into the shower with me.

"Damn!" I said, turning off the tap and getting out of the tub, angry with myself and with him. That blood had saved my life, okay, but did it have to make me feel this way? It was like my whole body burn. I removed the fog from the mirror with the back of my hand and looked at my reflection. A young girl, with light skin and rosy cheeks, dark green eyes, full lips and black hair to her chest looked back at me. I moved a little closer to the mirror. Could it be that my eyes were a little greener? And my lips a little fuller? I looked down at my naked and wet body as I toweled myself. I was not tall, but I wasn't short, and I had wide hips, prominent butt and generous chest, but my waist was quite narrow. But, could it be that my chest was bigger and higher? Could it be that I hadn't an ounce of cellulite on my thighs anymore? I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It was like a 2.0 version of myself, the same Carrie, but improved. Maybe that vampire blood was not too bad.

As I dressed, I thought V addicts usually are not too attractive, and have that dirty haggard look that junkies have, no matter what substance they're addicted to. Maybe it was the abuse, or maybe it was that Eric's blood was special. I wondered how old he was. It didn't matter, as I didn't think drinking vampire blood very often, I was going to take this opportunity, I felt beautiful, and I was going to make the most of it.

I wore a red dress with thin straps and bateau neckline, belted at the waist and then it fell to the knees. I looked in the mirror, it was obvious that now it looked much better than before, adhering to the appropriate parts of my body and enhancing what it had to be enhanced. I wore a pair of black flat shoes closed around heel, but they left a couple of toes exposed, and went to dry my hair. I wasn't surprised that my hair was more lustrous and shiny. I smiled as I brushed it, it seemed to make perfect shapes around my face. I put just a little mascara and lip gloss, for the first time in my life I thought that putting my makeup will worsen my face.

I left my house a little after nine in the morning, after having breakfast, clean up a bit and keep an absurd conversation with Charlie through text messages. Charlie was living in Jackson, and we missed each other a lot, so we talked on the phone almost every day and try to visit each other when we could. I walked to the garage where my gorgeous was waiting for me, ready for the road. I jumped on her after paying the repair (the mechanic made me a discount) and I went to do a few errands. After that I returned home, I left the shopping, and was almost midday when I went to Bon Temps. If Merlotte's seemed well enough to me, maybe I would even have dinner there.

The place was cozy, familiar. It seemed to be the sort of place you can always find the same people, the place were everybody in the village came, faithful customers. Perhaps it was for this reason that everyone turned to look at me when I entered the bar. I smiled and walked to the bar. The bartender, a handsome, Afro-American, definitely gay man with false eyelashes, painted eyes and a turban on his head, looked at me with a smile.

"Look the pretty little thing the wind brought..." he said. "What can I get you, honey?"

I smiled at the compliment, a little hypnotized by his long eyelashes.

"A beer, please. And thank you."

The man winked at me and served me a bottle of Budwiser. I hesitated.

"Excuse me, are you Sam Merlotte?"

"I wish. If I were Sam, I would be out there having fun instead of having this sexy ass working in here. I'm Lafayette Reynolds, here to serve you, gorgeous."

I laughed.

"Name's Carrie Corbett, and I'm looking for..."

"Carrie?" A deep voice said next to me, and I turned in surprise to meet the man who had spoken. He was sitting a few stools away, he was tall, with broad and muscular shoulders, well, his shoulders and all his body. He was tanned, his black hair was disheveled and he wore a clearly flattering beard. His brown eyes sparkled surprised and his well defined lips smiled.

"Alcide Herveaux?" I said, squinting. "Is it you?"

"Carrie Corbett!" Alcide said, approaching to give me a hug, which I returned delighted. He smelled of Aqua Velva. "It's been a while!"

"Indeed..." I muttered, looking at the man in front of me. Okay, maybe he hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him, but he looked different. In addition, so far, every time I looked at him I only saw one big kid with frizzy hair and big ears who defended me and Charlie from school bullies, along with my brother Ethan. Although it was quite possible that he, looking at me, only saw the short and skinny girl with a dental corrector and an acne problem to who her books fell too often. "You look different, Alcide."

He raised his eyebrows, looking me up and down. I smiled, the vampire blood was on my side that day.

"And you, Carrie. You are..." He left his lips ajar, looking for the right word, and I waited with a half-smile on my face. The best compliment is to leave someone speechless.

"I think the word you're looking for is '_hot_', pretty boy." Lafayette said, snapping his fingers as he nodded his head. I laughed.

"Lafayette, I know this girl since she was born." Alcide said, I grimaced. "How old are you now?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Alcide, don't talk as if I was a child. I'm twenty-five, I can drink alcohol and everything."

Alcide chuckled and sat back, pushing a stool away for me to sit beside him.

"I see you're not a little girl anymore, Carrie. But the last time I saw you, you were... what? Thirteen?"

"Actually I think I was seventeen." I said, sitting beside him. "It took me too long to develop myself."

"But the wait was worth it, wasn't it?" Lafayette said, resting his elbows on the bar.

"Lafayette, I thought you liked men." Alcide said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Lafayette gave him a skeptical look.

"I am an artist, wolf. I just admire the beauty."

I raised my eyebrows, surprised by the comment.

"Lafayette, can you lend a hand to Terry in the kitchen?" A very pretty blonde waitress said, passing by the side of the bar with a tray full of dishes in her hand. "Holly will stay in the bar, but the tables are crowded."

"And you're going to have one more." I said, smiling at Alcide. "What do you say? Wanna have lunch with me?"

Alcide blinked a few times and opened his mouth, trying to say something. Finally, he nodded.

"Sure, why not."

I grinned and said goodbye to Lafayette with my hand, grabbing Alcide's wrist and taking him to a free table. I couldn't close my hand around his wrist, how big it was. Plus it was on fire. We sat facing each other and took the menus.

"Hey, Alcide... what Lafayette said... does he know what you are?" I asked, looking over the menu. He looked back at me with a smile.

"Yes, Carrie, he knows."

"And you know what is he?"

Alcide frowned, tilting his head.

"I know something. But what you mean?"

"He's a medium, I think." I whispered.

"How do you know those things, Carrie?" Alcide said, putting the menu on the table. "I don't understand. Nothing in Lafayette says so."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"There is also a fairy around here." I whispered, looking at the list of meals. Alcide laughed through his nose, looking at the blonde waitress. He knew I meant her.

"I've always wondered how you do that." Alcide said, looking at me with a half-smile. I took a deep breath; I didn't remember him so attractive.

"You know, you could speak directly in plural. I know you mean Ethan too."

"Well..." Alcide began, but the blonde waitress came to ask us. She had a lovely smile, but I found it a bit forced.

"Alcide, I see you have company." She said, looking at me. _Uh, new girlfriend?_

"Oh, she's an old friend." Alcide said. "Sookie Stackhouse, Carrie Corbett."

I grinned.

"My pleasure, Sookie."

She stared at me for a few seconds, looking like she was fully focused. Then she shook her head and smiled.

"Same here, Carrie. What will you want?"

Sookie noted our order and then left, her ponytail bobbing behind her, and I looked at Alcide with raised eyebrows.

"She's very pretty." I said. "But what happened with Debbie Pelt?"

"What? Oh, Sookie and I aren't together." He said, shaking his head.

"Well, then you still with Debbie..." I said, and the disappointment was palpable in my voice.

"No, I am not with Debbie, see..."

I grinned.

"Thank goodness." I interrupted. "Because I swear I hated Debbie when we were at school..."

"I thought you'd know. She died." Alcide said, and I was shocked, mouth open and eyes wide.

"What-" I whispered. "What happened?"

Alcide shrugged, sighing.

"The former pack master murdered her. They had an affair."

I swallowed. Not that the world was a worse place without Debbie Pelt, but I knew that she and Alcide were a very united couple. I reached out and took Alcide's hand. He looked up at me.

"I'm so sorry. I know you..."

"I abjured her." He said in a whisper. _Jesus, how much information_. It wasn't my business, but I couldn't believe that Alcide, Alcide who started dating Debbie at... what, fifteen years? I was about eight at the time... they always went everywhere together, he always had a protective arm around her and everyone assumed that they would be together forever. Which, to my eight, ten or even fifteen years self, made my stomach sick.

"I'm sorry anyway, Alcide." I said. "Really. I know what she meant to you, no matter what happened to make you abjure her. You cared about her."

Alcide raised her brown eyes to mine and laced the fingers of his hand with mine. His hand was so hot, if it wasn't because I knew he was a werewolf, I would have thought he was sick. An electric shock went up my hand to my arm and my spine. A cough made me jump and let go Alcide's hand.

"Here are the drinks." Sookie said, putting the glasses on the table and turning away. I could not help but smile.

"Who would have thought…" I whispered.

"What?" Alcide said, opening his beer. I laughed.

"That one day a woman would be jealous of me because of Alcide Herveaux..."

Alcide narrowed his eyes, smiling.

"I'm not following you."

"Sookie!" I said in a whisper. "She's jealous. She wants some wolfish love, I'd say."

Alcide laughed.

"I'm afraid that ship had sailed." He said. "And what did you mean with 'who would have thought'?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you know, I had a crush on you when I was a kid." I said, giving a sip of my beer. Alcide opened his mouth and his puzzled look was enough for me. "Ok, you didn't know. I just screw up. Can we get started again? Alcide, it's been a while since I last saw you!" I said, swallowing, feeling really uncomfortable. Alcide grinned.

"You had a crush on me?" He said, his smile widening more and more. "Well, that explains why your books fell each time we met. There was a time when I thought that you had a problem."

I threw a napkin to his face.

"Don't be mean! I was a little girl, and you are the best friend of my brother, seven years older than I, who always defended me from bullies at school. It's normal I liked you."

Alcide smiled, nodding.

"It's true, you and that redhead girl you always stuck with were continually in trouble. It was like you had a target on your forehead for school bullies. What was her name? Charlize?"

"Charlotte." I said. "Charlie. Yes, and she is an adult now, like me. She's engaged."

Alcide raised his eyebrows.

"God, it's hard to believe. I still remember her as a gangly teenager. Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's great. She has a clothing store in Jackson with her fiancé. Came to see me about a month ago."

"Next time she comes we can go out together." Alcide said. "And with Ethan. Remember old times."

I laughed out loud.

"Well, Charlie had a crush on Ethan at school. It would be like a childhood fantasy fulfilled." I said, still laughing.

"I knew that." Alcide said. "Ethan told me once. But if I had known you liked me..."

I raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What? Alcide, you are seven years older than me. When you were starting going out with girls, I began to write complete sentences. And when I was fifteen and had my first boyfriend, you already had drinking age." I sighed. "Childhood loves are always like that: Impossible."

Alcide laughed.

"But now you're twenty-five and I'm thirty-two." He said. "And we're eating together. It doesn't seem so impossible looking at it like that, right?" I half smiled and looked down, just to hear him clear his throat. "I just heard what I said. Ethan would kill me if he had heard me."

"Speaking of Ethan," I said, changing the subject, more for him than for me. "Does he have adapted well to the new pack? You know how wolves are: it's impossible that they tell you anything."


	4. Chapter 4: Fire Away

_**AN: **I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, but my ff account has gone crazy and the story is being hard to publish u.u- but I'll try to post one chapter a week anyway. Thanks for your patience and your support, and now, with the story!_

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_**Chapter IV: Fire Away**_

_ Knock me down is so in vain _

_I get right back on my feet again._

- Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Pat Benatar.

Alcide made a wry gesture, and then shrugged. "Well, Carrie, I'm not supposed to talk about the pack... but I'll do an exception." He said, I dedicated him a smile.

"The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club." I said. "Fire away."

"Ethan's part of the pack, all of them respect him a lot and he's the second strongest wolf." He said, and I could almost see how his chest swelled with pride. It was clear who the first one was. "And I think he has started a relationship with one of our wolves."

I raised my eyebrows, suddenly much more interested. "Really? What's her name? How is she?"

"Her name is Samantha, she's... a wolf. Impulsive, aggressive and passionate. But it seems they like each other."

I sighed. I just didn't like the sound of that. "And you, Alcide? Are you with someone?" I said, cocking my head. Sookie brought the plates before he answered, and I began to eat my Merlotte's special, a plate with potatoes, corn and some type of highly salty meat, waiting for his reply.

"No, no." He said. "I'm single. And you, Carrie? Ethan told me you were dating a guy he didn't like at all."

I sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid. Mark. It ended a few months ago."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"I dumped him because he was a jerk."

Alcide laughed and nodded approvingly. "You also have a wolf side in you, Carrie."

I swallowed with the fork halfway to my mouth. My parents were wolves, my brother was a wolf and I had worked for wolves until recently. But for some reason we didn't know, I wasn't a wolf. Alcide's comment was like a punch in the stomach. We continue eating in silence until I cleared my throat and looked at him, hurt. He bit his lip, realizing his mistake.

"Carrie I didn't mean..."

"And, hey, Alcide." I said, changing the subject. I knew he had tried to make me a compliment, and the vampire blood made me be in a good mood. "What are you doing here? How did we meet here?"

Alcide blinked a few times, absorbing the change of subject. "Ah, the bar's owner is a friend of mine. He called me to talk about a subject, but he's delaying..."

I left the fork on the empty plate. Food was great on that restaurant. "Are you friends with Sam Merlotte? Because I've come to..." I saw how Alcide incorporated a little and I shut up. I turned to where he was looking, somewhere behind me, and saw a man with brown hair streaked with gray, a stubble and in his late thirties. He had blue eyes and upturned nose, he was quite handsome. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt and tight jeans. Shapeshifter, I could see it from a mile away. Sam Merlotte, surely.

"Alcide!" The man said, coming to us, the urgency was reflected in his voice. "Come with me." Alcide looked at me and then looked at Sam. He pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his pants and pulled out a few bills, which left on the table.

"My treat." He said. "I will ask your number to Ethan and I'll call you, okay?" And he went to follow Sam to the street.

"Not even you believe that." I muttered, getting up and following the two men. I caught them up quickly, heading to a RV parked outside, in the backyard of the restaurant. "Sam Merlotte?" I said. "Sorry to interrupt, but..."

"Not now, honey." Sam said, turning momentarily. "Come back tomorrow, or this afternoon."

"Sorry, but I can't. I come from Eric Northman."

The two men stopped in their tracks and stared at me. _Oops_. It seemed that Eric was not their cup of tea.

"Eric Northman?" Alcide said, coming up to me with Sam behind him. "Carrie, what the hell are you into?"

I frowned, I didn't like that somebody talked to me like that, much less someone who was not my father nor my boss. "Well, Alcide, I don't think it's any of your business, but I work for Mr. Northman."

Alcide's brow furrowed a little. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"Does Ethan know that?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, he doesn't. He hired me not even twelve hours ago, I didn't send a text to my brother every time a small change happens in my life."

"A small change?" Alcide said. The two men were now in front of me, just one step away. I lifted my chin. Jeez, Alcide had always been so tall and threatening? "Northman is dangerous, Carrie. Stay away from him. You don't know what..."

"Alcide, with all my respect, I'm not a wolf, so I don't give a fuck about your orders." I said. "Eric has been good to me, actually, if I'm here today is because of him. And I come to ask a favor to Mr. Merlotte on his name."

"Call me Sam, darlin', and no offense, but who the hell are you? How do you know her, Alcide?"

"She's the sister of a friend of mine, she..."

"She can speak for herself, thank you." I said, with a smile. "Sam, my name is Carrie Corbett, and Eric had put me up in the picture about your business together." I said, pulling out the envelope. "And he wants you to return the favor." Sam took the envelope and opened it. Seeing the interior, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Follow me. The two of you." Sam said and walked to his trailer. Alcide's anger was almost palpable.

On the couch of the RV, with several bite marks on the face and arms, the man of the picture that was inside the envelope was laying down. The man Eric wanted to get. "What happened?" I said, approaching him. He was asleep, or unconscious.

"This morning I went for a run." Sam said. "Something caught my nose and I ran to it. It was this man, he was on the floor, unconscious, I thought..."

"He's not dead." I said. "So it's not too late. I'll take him to Fangtasia."

"What?" Alcide said. "Fangtasia? You want 'em to eat him? I'll take him to a hospital!"

"And how will you explain it?" Sam said. "You've seen the bite marks?"

"We can say he was attacked by an animal, probably that's the truth."

I analyzed the wounds with my brow furrowed. "We can always say that you attacked him while you were a dog." Sam looked at me, puzzled. "Or maybe a fox... a dingo? That's exotic, Sam. What do you think, Alcide, what's more compelling?" I took a deep breath. "This man has been attacked by supernaturals. An animal probably would have eaten him or at least it'd done more harm. Somebody tried to kill him, and probably Sam scared the freak away. He has confidential information about Eric and his partner. I have to take him back." I had to bring him to Fangtasia, those were Eric's orders. I looked at the man straight in the face. There was something strange about him, though I didn't know say exactly what it was...

"Carrie..." Alcide began, then his frown deepened. "Wait, 'if I'm here today is because of him'? What did you mean?"

"Alcide, do you really think that this is the right time...?" Alcide looked at me and a subtle growl coming from his chest made it clear that yes, he thought it was the right time. I sighed. "I went yesterday to a job interview. Upon leaving, some anti-vampire guys jumped on me and gave me a beating. Eric saved me."

Sam frowned. "You don't have a single scratch." He observed. Alcide looked at Sam and then at me, then to the ceiling and finally to the floor. Finally, he looked up at me again.

"He gave you his blood, right? You let a bloodsucker give you his damn blood!"

I frowned, standing up. "Yes, Alcide, he gave me his blood. And now, instead of being dead because of internal bleeding, I'm here, alive and kicking."

"And you feel attracted to him." Alcide said, I gulped. "And he'll be able to locate where you are, and know how you feel."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

Alcide laughed, although it was not a laugh of amusement. "He hasn't even warned you about what his blood would do to you, has he?"

I breathed deeply, seeking a defense. Okay, Eric had forgotten to mention that little detail. "I don't care." I said. "He saved my life. That's enough."

Alcide shook his head. "He could've taken you to a hospital."

I laughed. "Alcide, I estimate it would have taken me about three minutes to die if Eric hadn't appeared. Or even less, because if it wasn't for that bloodsucker they would've continued kicking my stomach."

Alcide blinked a few times, taking in what I was saying. Finally, he cleared his throat and said: "And you're ok, Carrie?" Words seemed to have punched their way out of his mouth.

"Yes, thank you." I said pulling out my phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Fangtasia. Ginger sure is there. I'll let her know that we're gonna go."

Alcide growled. "You stubborn woman! Look, I don't warn you about Eric Northman because I'm a wolf and he's a vampire, I warn you because he's dangerous. And you, Carrie, I can't see how you would be able to defend yourself from someone like him."

I swallowed. "I grew up with wolves, I'll think of something." Alcide opened his mouth, preparing to say something, but I raised my hand. "If Eric is as dangerous as you say, you'd better go, because Sam and I are going to Fangtasia."

Sam and Alcide looked at each other. Sam shrugged. "It doesn't seem such a bad idea to me. Eric is a vampire, but not the most dangerous vampire we've met."

"Because we've never been against him." Alcide said.

I smiled. "Well, keep it up." And I dialed the call button. After two beeps, somebody picked up the phone. "Ginger, I'm Carrie. Get ready, I'll be there with a wounded man." I grimaced turned my head away from the handset. "Don't scream, please."

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_**AN:** I know it was a short and kinda filling chapter, but it had to be like this. Sorry._


	5. Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams

_**AN: **Ok, ff is going crazy, but I managed to upload this chapter (I needed help, though). Thanks to all the follows the favorites etc., you guys are the best! Feel free to review or drop me a PM, I always love to know what you guys think. Translations at the end of the chapter._

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_**Chapter V: Sweet Dreams **_

_Sweet dreams are made of this_

_Who am I to disagree?_

_- Sweet Dreams, _Euritmics.

We arrived at Fangtasia with Sam's truck in about twenty minutes and we hastened to put the wounded man in the bar. Ginger opened the door, trembling and moaning.

The man was named Tom Clearwater and he was from Kansas, according to his driving license. He was thirty-seven years and was unmarried. He was dark, with black hair, thin lips and brown eyes. A normal man. But he was into a lot of trouble.

Alcide had decided not to join us, claiming he had to return to work and that we will talk. I rolled my eyes. Surely that afternoon he and Ethan will go there looking for me. They could try.

"Ginger, do you have bandages and alcohol?" I said, looking at the jumpy woman. She nodded and disappeared behind a door.

"What are you gonna do?" Sam said.

"The only thing I know. Disinfect his wounds. Not that I think you have rabies or anything, but..."

Sam laughed, nodding.

"I don't know why it surprises me. It was obvious that Eric would tell you as soon as he sent you to talk to me."

I smiled.

"Actually, I guessed it myself. Not Eric's fault. And anyway, I would've known it when I saw you."

Sam sat next to me. The man was laying on the red sofa inside the bar and I was sitting in front of him in a chair.

"What do you mean?" He said, tilting his head slightly toward me.

"I'll tell you if you are sincere." I said. "Do I smell different from other humans?"

Sam moved closer to me and buried his face in my hair, I breathed slowly. The litmus test, I told myself. I had never dared to ask any wolf, because they don't respect other species, or a vampire, because I had never had dealings with them, and, frankly, I wouldn't have trusted their word. Not after learning that Eric had hidden me some effects of his blood.

I heard Sam inhale and exhale repeatedly, picking a lock of my hair and getting it closer to his nose, then he put his face closer to my neck until the tip of his nose touched my skin. I put up with a smile, thinking how absurd it was the scene.

"You smell..." Sam said, inhaling deeply. "So well... like countryside, grass... and... don't know... wood. It's a smell..."

He moved his body closer to me and I put my hand on his chest, pushing him away while I stared at nowhere. What I thought.

"Sorry..." Sam said, shaking his head. "I don't know what happened to me, I..."

"Don't worry." I said, looking at him. "I guess that means I don't smell like the others, right?"

Sam raised his eyebrows.

"No, I'd say you smell better than any human I've ever met." He admitted. I sighed.

"I don't know if that's good or bad, but not surprising." We looked at each other. "A deal is a deal, I would've known that you are a therianthrope just seeing you because I can recognize supernatural creatures just looking at them."

Sam frowned.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you." He said. "How do you do it? Just by looking, most supernaturals look human."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I've done it my whole life. It's like..." I twisted mouth, thinking. "As you or anyone distinguish men to women. It's obvious. For me it is so."

"But you don't know what you are." Sam said. I raised an eyebrow.

"No. And this conversation will be our secret, won't it?"

Sam nodded, and then Ginger came with the kit.

"Thank you, Ginger, you can leave if you want."

"N-no." She said. "I'm in charge of the bar. I'm staying."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I work here, Ginger. I won't steal anything or kill anyone."

The woman shook her head and walked away, she began to clear the bar. _Well, whatever._

I took off the man's shirt to discover a set of bloody bites, but what worried me was the head, it had an open wound, I assumed that was the cause of his unconsciousness. I dipped a gauze with alcohol and applied it on the head gently but firmly.

The man's face twisted slightly, but he remained unconscious. I disinfected the wounds taking my time, Sam stayed with me and we talked. He talked about Sookie after I asked him, and I knew she was that Alcide's mutual friend who Eric had spoken of. Sam didn't say it, but it wasn't necessary, it became clear that my boss and the waitress had a history together. Clever girl.

I sat on one of the sofas and rested my head back, closing my eyes. I felt a hand on my ankle and I opened my eyes, startled and puzzled by the proximity of Sam. But it wasn't Sam.

Eric was holding my ankles, each with one hand, kneeling on the floor. I looked into his eyes, his blue eyes were deep as wells. I swallowed hard, his cold hands grabbed me hard.

"Eric, what...?"

Eric raised his eyebrows, and that was enough to shut me up. My heart was pounding in my throat, I felt how my breathing quickened. With a movement so fast that the human eye couldn't catch it, Eric separate my ankles, opening my legs. I gasped as the dress slipped over my thighs almost to my waist, showing my underwear. Eric looked me up and down and a sort of growl left his throat. With a swift movement, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down the couch, sitting me on his lap. His face was three inches from mine, his cool breath hit my face. Without thinking twice, I approached him, those blue eyes and his lips...

"Sam Merlotte, my faithful friend!" A voice said, pulling me out from my dream. I jumped, startled, and slipped off the couch, but I managed to stay sit someway. My heart was going a mile a minute, my whole body throbbed. I looked around, placing myself; I was at Fangtasia, with Sam and the unconscious man, and I figured they'd just wake up, Eric, Pam and the Afro-American vampire who I didn't even know how she was called. Ginger was behind the bar.

"It's nighttime?" I said, stretching my back. I was stiffed. "How long I've been asleep?"

"A few hours." Sam said, looking at Eric. The vampire was wearing a gray suit with a black shirt that looked almost indecent on him. I looked away and got up, swallowing. I blushed as I tried to forget the dream.

"Taking a nap, Carrie?" Eric said, walking past me to approach the unconscious man. "Have you dreamed something interesting?"

"No." I whispered, and he laughed softly as I approached the bar to grab a bottle of water.

"Cold?" Ginger asked.

"The coolest you have." I said, and I heard Eric laughing again.

"I must say I'm impressed." He said. "I didn't expect you to be so quick."

I sighed after giving a drink to the water, biting back the urge to pour it over me.

"Well, and I must say I was lucky." I said. "Sam will explain you."

The shifter proceeded with his story as I pulled a sandwich out of my purse and took a bite.

"Do you know? Now I miss it. A good peanut butter sandwich." A deep voice said beside me, and I turned to meet the Afro-American vampire. I smiled.

"Honestly, it must be a bit boring eating always the same thing, right?"

The vampire shrugged.

"It doesn't always taste the same. I guess eventually I'll forget the taste of the food."

I grimaced a little.

"I guess it's silly to offer..."

"It is." Pam said, dryly. I nodded, fighting back the urge of roll my eyes.

"I'm Carrie, by the way."

"I'm Tara." The vampire said, extending her hand. I shook it with a smile. "And Ms. Super Happy is Pam."

Pam raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded.

"I'll see you often." I said. "Eric hired me yesterday."

Tara nodded.

"I know. Welcome to hell."

I chuckled as I took another bite of my sandwich.

A few minutes later, Sam left looking angry and Eric approached us with a grin on his face.

"I love it when you go to ask someone a favor and you do it to them instead." He said, leaning on the bar next to me. "Now Merlotte owes me two."

I rolled my eyes.

"I think this has been rather a mutual favor, but you do your thing..."

Eric laughed.

"Well, sweet Carrie, you have to take the most of every situation."

"Speaking of taking advantage." I said, turning to him completely. "Do you mind if we talk for a second? Privately?"

Eric blinked, bored, and sighed.

"Sure, I can't see why not. Mr. Clearwater doesn't seem to wake up early..." I nodded and went to his office, he followed me with a raised eyebrow. "I suppose you know that being in a vampire's building, closing a door doesn't guarantee privacy."

I rolled my eyes.

"I know, but it's a human routine, and I need them or I'll end up sleeping in a coffin." I said. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Eric flopped on the couch, on the side of his office.

"Go ahead, I'm all ears."

"This morning when I went to Merlotte, I've met Alcide."

"I am aware." Eric said. "Sam has informed me of his call to the wolf." Eric gave me a dazzling smile. "Carrie, do you intend to warn me that the pack will question me about you and me and some blood?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"No." I said, and Eric licked his lips. "I want to talk about the effects of your blood that you promptly _forgot_ to tell me."

Eric stood.

"Are you asking me to explain myself?" He said, a mild threatening hint in his tone. I gritted my teeth.

"I'm asking you to explain to me what I should be ready for."

"It's simple." Eric said. "If at any time you are in danger or you're scared, I'll know where you are, and I will be able to find you and help you."

"Ah." I said. Saying it that way, it didn't seem so terrible. Alcide had made it sound like the worst thing that could happen to me. "All my life?"

"Yes, while you remain human, I can find you."

I ran my hand through my black hair, puffing. Then I looked at him. He looked like he was holding back a smile.

"Do you do it with everyone you hire? For prevent us to betray you?"

Eric laughed, a low and amused laugh.

"Are you asking if I give my ancient blood to all the red-necks and strippers that I hire? To Ginger, to Yvetta? No, Carrie, I don't usually give my blood as easily as you seem to think."

That said, he turned around, opening the door.

"Ancient?" I said, following him. "How old are you? And who the hell is Yvetta?"

"You make so many questions that I will have a headache." Eric said over his shoulder as he headed to the unconscious man. "And it hasn't hurt me in over a thousand years, so it would be quite an achievement."

I swallowed. More than a thousand years? So...

"Then you're vampire since... when? Where do you come from? If you're so old, you couldn't be in America, so..."

Eric raised his hand, making me shut up.

"You haven't understood my hint about the questions?" He said. I twisted my mouth.

"I wouldn't say it was a hint."

Eric raised his eyebrows.

"Then you have understood that I want silence." The last word was a whisper.

I looked down. Eric was menacing, no doubt, but for some reason, I wasn't afraid of him. Yes, he intimidated me a bit, but I didn't feel in danger at the bar, accompanied by three vampires. Pam said something in that weird language I didn't understand.

"_Jag kommer att behöva stå ut med din mänskliga om och om igen?" _

Eric laughed quietly.

"_Pam, inte__människa__. __Inte__helt.__"_

Pam rolled her eyes.

"_Sookie__är__inte__. __Och det är__så irriterande som__en människa.__Eller kanske__mer.__"_

"It's funny." I said, lifting an eyebrow at Eric. "A thousand years and you haven't learned that it's impolite to speak in a language that only you and your partner understand. Don't you think, Tara?"

The vampire made a sound with her throat.

"Hell, yeah. I don't even know what language is that."

"It seems old Swedish to me."

Eric grinned.

"So you think my education is not up to you?" He said, with a half smile. "What could I do to please you?"

"For starters," I said, after clearing my throat, trying _not _to think in the double meaning of his words. "You could explain me what this guy really did to end up here."

Eric licked his lips, looking at me, thinking.

"He was spying us." He finally said. "And I'll find out why."

I nodded, determined to not asking anything else for the rest of the night. Honestly, you had to be stupid to spy on vampires.

"_Eric, __är vakna.__"_ Pam said.

"Here we go again." I growled.

"She said he is waking up." Eric translated, leaning to Tom Clearwater.

The man blinked a few times and opened his eyes, trying to focus. His eyes opened wide, his pupils dilated when he saw Eric, but before he could say anything, Eric had made eye contact with him.

"Hello, Tom. Don't be scared."

The man blinked a few times, his expression empty. I straightened up a bit, being aware that I was witnessing vampire hypnosis. _Glamouring. _

"Tom, why have you been watching us?"

The man swallowed.

"I don't know." He replied. Eric frowned.

"Did someone order you to do it?"

"I don't know... yes, I think so..." the man twisted his face in a gesture of pain.

"Who are you going to take the information to?"

"Nobody."

Eric took a deep breath.

"And for what are they going to use it?"

"For nothing."

"This guy has been glamoured already." Pam said from behind. "His brain is as messed up as Ginger's."

"What?" the waitress said, but nobody listened to her.

"Do you mean that if a person is glamoured very often, their mental health deteriorates?" I asked.

"Yeah. A lot." Tara said, nodding.

"Tom, are you aware that if you don't tell the truth, I'll kill you?"

Tears started rolling down the man's face, and I swallowed hard. I didn't want him to be killed. I didn't want to see anyone else die. I was using all my willpower to forget the image of the boy with the heel nailed in the neck, I didn't need more scenes to give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

"Please... I don't know anything."

"Eric, he knows nothing." I said in a whisper, and Eric broke eye contact with the man to look at me. Tom Clearwater looked around, finally conscious, and I could see how he slowly panicked. His brown eyes turned towards me and he opened them exaggeratedly, a raw fear gripped his face when he saw my face. His expression made clear that he knew me, and that he feared me.

"I told you to leave me alone!" He yelled, and lunged at me, throwing his hands around my neck. He threw me off the chair and I fell to the ground, while he strangled me, but suddenly he stopped constricting. Eric's hands were on either sides of his head and the body of Tom Clearwater fell on me, dead. His neck was broken.

"Twice." Eric said, removing the body off with a quick movement and holding my waist to help me up. Before I could react, he had his huge hand on my throat. He didn't squeeze, but it was painfully clear that it wouldn't be an effort to him to crush my trachea. "Now tell me what you know."

* * *

**Translations:**

"_Jag kommer att behöva stå ut med din mänskliga om och om igen?" – _"I will have to put up with your humans again and again?"

_Pam, inte__människa__. __Inte__helt- _Pam, she's not human. Not entirely.

_Sookie__är__inte__. __Och det är__så irriterande som__en människa.__Eller kanske__mer.- _Sookie isn't either. And she's as annoying as a human. Maybe even more.


	6. Chapter 6: No One Can Hurt You

_**AN: **__Yay! Thanks to all the ones who followed or favorited the story, and to all the ones who reviewed. _

* * *

_**Chapter VI: No One can Hurt You **_

_Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain_

_And every ounce of innocence is left inside her brain._

_- Her Name Is Alice, _Shinedown.

I swallowed hard, grabbing Eric's wrist with both hands. I frowned and looked him in the eyes. He was serious, his gaze was more threatening than anything I had ever seen, his fangs extracted, white and large. It was like I was being attacked by an animal.

"I don't know anything..." I muttered, struggling to keep the tears away of my eyes.

"And how can I trust you if I can not glamour you?"

I noticed my lips were trembling.

"I have no idea..." I stammered. "I don't know what you want me to say..."

Eric pursed lips, pinning me against the wall. The grip of his hand tightened. I couldn't hear anything but my breathing, my heartbeat in my ears and Ginger's screams.

"The truth." Eric growled. I couldn't help it, a tear fell down my cheek.

"I know nothing... I hadn't seen this man in my life... Eric, you're hurting me..."

Eric raised an eyebrow as I looked into his eyes. _Please, Eric, _I thought, _believe me, believe me, believe me… I am being honest…believe me! _He closed his eyes for a second before letting me go, I fell to the floor, on my knees, and grabbed my neck with both hands, coughing. My breathing was accelerated and the screaming didn't stop. An acute and unfamiliar voice in me sprang from my throat.

"Ginger, shut the fuck up!" I screamed, and the waitress closed her mouth, her eyes wide, her body trembling. I plopped down on one of the couches, trying to normalize my breathing.

"I believe you." Eric said, retracting his fangs. "Although I don't know why."

"Because I told you the fucking truth!" I muttered between clenched teeth, and Eric turned to me, kneeling in front of where I was.

"Carrie, can you find a logical explanation to Mr. Clearwater's reaction?" He asked softly. I shook my head.

"I don't know..." I said, pushing my brain to work at full speed. "Maybe... maybe he saw me in the werewolves' bar..." I reasoned. "Maybe he had problems with them too, and not just with vampires. Maybe he thought I was one of them."

"But you're not." Tara said.

"No, I'm not a wolf."

"Be honest, Carrie." Eric said. "Are you loyal to the wolves? Are you here for a reason I ignore?"

I growled. "No, Eric, unless you ignore that I need money to buy food and pay bills. And I don't give a fuck about your power struggles with the werewolves."

"What power struggles?" Pam said with a smile. "We are clearly superior."

I rolled my eyes and Eric sighed, standing up.

"Get up." He said. "You're coming with me."

I looked at him with a frown. "Where? Why? What will you do to me?"

Eric snorted. "I won't do anything to you, Carrie." He said. "But I have to bury the body, and Pam and Tara must take care of the bar. Also, I want you to come with me." Seeing that I didn't move, he raised his eyebrows. "That's a command, Carrie. Now."

I got up to my feet and waited while he wrapped the body in a sheet, trying to calm down and thinking about how I wished it was Alcide the one to feel my fear, and not Eric.

* * *

I was sitting on the floor, on the dirt, while Eric was digging a hole. Beside me lay the body of Tom Clearwater, I tried not to stare at him with all my willpower. We hadn't exchanged words rather than indications or 'give me the shovel' and I began to wonder why he had wanted me to go with him.

"Carrie." He said, like if he was reading my mind. "I feel your hostility from here."

I huffed. "What did you expect? You killed a guy _over_ me. You almost strangle me. I can't help thinking that you may bury me in that hole too." I mumbled, resting my head on my knees, hugging myself.

"If it reassures you, I have no intention of killing you. And I've never had." He said, leaving the hole with a jump. I looked at him. He was wearing gray dress pants soiled with earth and his black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His gray jacket was on the floor, across the body. He was still handsome, but inside I wished I didn't think that.

"It reassures me. Sort of." I sighed, watching him as I stood up and began to push the body into the hole.

"You know I can do that, don't you?" Eric said, looking at me amused, with an elbow resting on the handle of the shovel.

"I need to do it." I grunted with the effort, and Tom Clearwater fell into the hole. I sighed, looking at the corpse that until recently had been a man. "I guess you're not in Kansas anymore." I sighed, and Eric laughed.

I went back to sit on the floor, I had goosebumps and I hugged my legs stronger than before, and rested my forehead on my knees, eyes closed. I had seen two people dying in two days, and three others had died in my presence, though I hadn't seen it. All of it since I had known that ridiculously attractive vampire. Each step I made convinced me more that Charlie and Alcide were right. Eric was cruel, immoral, cold and an inhuman murderer who only wanted-

"Here, you're freezing." Eric said, and I felt how a thin cloth fell on my shoulders. I looked up, surprised. Eric's gray blazer lay on my back. Eric was already throwing dirt into the hole with a slight frown. I put my hands inside the jacket's sleeves and retrieved the same position. It smelled of fabric softener, something sweet, clean. I breathed deeply. It smelled great, of fresh laundry. I looked up again.

"You know, Eric, I find you very mystifying." I said, cocking my head. He stopped for a second, then continued throwing earth.

"What a human feeling." Eric said. "Confusion."

"I didn't say you confuse me, I said you mystify me. It's not the same."

"Can you specify the difference?"

I bit my lip, thinking.

"Well, I feel confused when I don't understand what surrounds me and consequently I don't know how to act in a situation. But when I'm mystified, I do know how to act, what I don't know are the motives of the person or situation that surrounds me. You're mystifying." I explained.

Eric looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"And why is that?"

"Because you're unpredictable. Hardly anyone is unpredictable, but you surely are. When I think you're going to do something good, you act like a heartless bastard. And when I am convinced that you are cruel and inhuman, you make the kindest gesture that could go through that blonde head of yours. Given that you are burying a corpse, of course."

Eric's eyes narrowed slightly at my words.

"Carrie, I'm inhuman, simply because I am not mortal. But I don't consider myself cruel or a _heartless bastard_. In fact, I consider myself quite magnanimous and reasonable. It shows that you haven't met too many vampires."

I sighed, shrugging inside his jacket. "I guess I need more time to get used to you. If you don't kill me before. Or Pam."

Eric smiled. "Like I said, I have no intention of killing you. And neither does Pam. Would it be useful that I give you my word?"

I sighed, staring at the vampire's blue eyes. "Yes, it would."

He moved as fast as he could and I had him in front of me in a blink, I leaned back to put more space between us. He knelt in front of me, while I rested my hands on the floor behind my back. Eric bowed slightly to me, I felt the time slow down to a standstill. His closeness leaving me breathless.

"I give you my word, Carrie. I won't kill you, nor let anyone do it if I can prevent it."

I swallowed. The worst thing is that I believed him. And that's why my lips parted to say: "Eric, how do I smell?" The words left my mouth without my consent, and I regretted just when I said them. Eric leaned over to me and I stood still, rigid, while his nose stroked the curve of my jaw. My heart was beating a mile a minute.

"You smell of sea, sun and melting snow." Eric said softly, his voice sent a shock through my body.

"Eric, what am I?" I whispered, anguished. Eric raised his face until our noses almost touched.

"You're human, partly." He said. "And something else."

"But I don't have anything of a werewolf, right?" I asked, maintaining his gaze.

"I'm afraid not, Carrie. Werewolves don't smell this... _good_." He said, raising an eyebrow. From his tone, I felt that 'good' was an understatement. "Also I tasted your blood. And it was… _different_. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, absolutely. But strange."

"Eric, you promised me you would not hurt me." I said, swallowing hard after his commentary about my blood. He got up and kept filling the hole with dirt while I recomposed of his proximity. "But if you try again something like what you did today, remember that I didn't promise not to hurt you."

Eric laughed as he offered me his hand to help me up. I took it and got up, crossing my arms. "Was that a threat, Carrie?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sort of." I nodded.

"Well, remember I promised I won't kill you, not that I won't hurt you."

I looked at him, swallowing. "In that case, I'll try not to provoke you, and you try not to strangle me."

Eric looked at me, half-smile dancing on his lips. "Deal." He nodded.

I looked at him as he walked looking down, hands in pockets, still smiling. "I mystify you too, right?" I said, cocking my head.

Eric smiled. "No, you confuse me."

I couldn't help smiling, but I turned my face so he couldn't see me.

* * *

_**AN2: **__The first taste of Eric being sweet (more or less). __Alcide will come back in the next chapter (briefly), but you, wolf girls, don't worry! He'll appear often in a bit ;)_


	7. Chapter 7: I'm an Adult

_**Chapter VII: I'm An Adult**_

_Now that you're grown up_

_You're old enough to know_

_An' you wanna leave me_

_You wanna let me go._

_- Shout, _Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

The next day I woke up late in the afternoon. Burying corpses was an exhausting task, even when I had done almost nothing. The vague memory of Eric smelling me in the cemetery made me blush while I showered, combined with the sharp images that were recorded under my eyelids of the dream I had that night. That morning. Whatever it was, but it had been a very explicit dream... I didn't know my imagination had that ability to create a naked Eric. But it had. And now I didn't know what to do to stop thinking about something else that wasn't in that concrete dream. I could almost remember how his mouth tasted.

Anyway, that night I had to work at Fangtasia, and honestly, deal with a sexy boss wasn't the biggest of my problems. For starters, I had the confirmation that I wasn't normal. Well, that I wasn't human. Neither a wolf. My parents, both were wolves. I didn't understand why I wasn't. Ethan had begun to turn when I was still very young, he was about ten years. But when I turned that age, nothing happened. Then came the twelve, fifteen, and it was becoming increasingly clear that I wasn't going to transform. The Jackson's pack tolerated my presence, at least most of them, but I was always excluded. At the end of the day, I couldn't be part of the pack.

And now, well, I knew I smelled different for vampires than to shapeshifters. Or at least for Eric than to Sam. I sighed as I dried my hair, looking myself in the mirror. The effects of Eric's blood had decreased, but I was still prettier than usual. I raised an eyebrow. Who knew how the night was going to be. Would they make me wear an Elvira dress? No... Would they? Eric had told me that my work clothes waited for me at Fangtasia with a smile... something gave me the creeps.

And rightly so. When I got to the bar, Pam kindly took me to Eric's office, where my work uniform awaited for me. A black leather corset and purple vinyl pants, with heels full of tacks and a spiked collar. I took the necklace with a raised eyebrow.

"Am I now a bulldog?" I said, looking at Eric, who smiled at me over his intertwined fingers.

"I'm sure you'll be very favored in these clothes. Will you know how to makeup?"

"Like a whore mixed with Marilyn Manson?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"How quickly you got it." Pam said, smiling at me with a raised eyebrow. With a resigned sigh, I grabbed my clothes and went to change to the small lounge, where I left my stuff. Eric's shout of 'if you want you can change here' made my cheeks burn.

_Don't be silly_, I told myself, _if you are going to work in a vampire bar dressed like this and smelling of sun, you better get ready for sexual innuendos_. I closed my eyes as I buckled the shoes. Yes, it would be a long night, and the first of many. But, certainly, it wasn't that the wolves were very subtle when they flirted with the waitress, so sure I wouldn't find anything that scared me. Or almost.

I left there after I painted my eyes like a raccoon and my lips maroon. I pulled my hair in a high ponytail. I needed at least some comfort.

"Do you allow me to tell you that you look delicious?" Eric told me when I got out, the bar was open.

"No, I don't allow you." I said, looking down. My boobs were so pressed that if they didn't burst against each other it would be a miracle. I looked at the different podiums to meet with several staff vampires and humans also disguised as a porn stars versions of Mrs. Lovett and I raised an eyebrow at a human who had already begun to dance, topless, looking at Eric seductively. She was pretty, but vulgar.

"That's Yvetta." Eric almost whispered in my ear, and I jumped. I hadn't realized how close he was.

"Don't tell me you're... you know, with her." I said, raising an eyebrow to Eric. "A thousand years haven't served you to refine your taste in women."

Eric reached out and gently grabbed my ponytail, placing my hair over my shoulder and stroking my clavicle with the back of his hand in the way. I kept looking at him with the same raised eyebrow.

"Not all women can be like you, Carrie." Eric said, giving me a tap on the nose with the index finger. I clacked the tongue, rolling my eyes. "And it's not necessary to be so fascinating to get laid."

"Don't tease me." I said, making a small pout. "I didn't want to mess with your human."

"Yvetta is not my human and..." Eric interrupted. "Oh, have you been researching about vampires? I would swear I have never mentioned anything about vampire-human relationships."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Wikipedia is an inexhaustible source of wisdom." I said.

"Well done, Carrie." Eric said.

"Yvetta ain't your human?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"No, Carrie, I'm afraid I am not that much interested in her."

"But do you have a human?"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't. Why? Would you like to be? Are the dirty dreams fighting to come true?"

I laughed, to Eric's surprise.

"Look who asks too many questions now." I said, lifting an eyebrow as I headed to the bar moving deliberately slowly. Eric followed me with his eyes. "I dream with you because you gave me your blood..." I rested my elbows on the bar, leaning forward. "Is that you're tormented with dreams in which I'm the main character?"

Eric laughed, moving closer. The first customers entered.

"They don't torment me." Eric said, I raised my eyebrows. "Actually, I find them very funny."

That said, he turned and headed to the throne, on which he sat comfortably with his long legs spread and an attitude of 'I don't give a shit about anything'. I chuckled as my first client approached me.

* * *

The night went by quietly. Well, all the quietly it can go in a bar, which means you don't stop, but all goes without significant incidents.

While I mixed vodka with lime in a glass for a girl with blue hair, I looked at Eric between my eyelashes. He sat on his throne but suddenly, I saw how he straightened. I took a deep breath as I grabbed the money of the girl and looked for the source of Eric's concern, fearing the worst. And soon I found them, as I had imagined.

They attracted the attention terribly, dressed in plaid shirts and jeans in there. Alcide looked with suspicion at both sides, making clear that he was a threat and at his side, walked a shorter guy, but corpulent too, with dark brown hair over his shoulders and dark green eyes, a slight stubble. My fucking brother, Ethan, progressed between the vampires frowning and with his nostrils dilated. I looked back at Eric, who nodded, giving me permission to leave the bar.

I walked around the bar and I dodged a couple of vampires who wanted to tell me some dirty compliments, going directly to the two men. I stood in front of them with my arms crossed and a raised eyebrow, I was so angry I thought a vein throbbing in my neck would burst of rage. Alcide and Ethan looked at me hard for a moment, then they recognized me.

"Carrie!" Ethan said, his eyes widening. Beside him, Alcide had raised eyebrows, but he didn't seem upset. "What the fuck are you doing dressed like that!?"

"Working!" I exclaimed. "Now come with me out before my boss kick your idiotic asses with his expensive boots."

I turned around and went like a whirlwind through the back door, the two werewolves followed me.

"What are you doing here?" I said, biting my lip. They better say that someone was dying.

"We've come for you." Ethan said. "I won't allow you to work on a vampire bar, not when..."

"When what?" I said, lifting my chin. "I need the job, Ethan. And I don't know since when is your business what I do or not with my life."

Ethan took a deep breath, he was trying to calm down. "You have anything with that vampire, Carrie? Are you… _you know_… with him?" Ethan said, frowning and pointing toward the bar. "Alcide told me he made you drink his blood."

"That I did." Said a voice close to us, and the three of us turn to see Eric Northman approaching us. "I think if there is a problem you should talk to me."

I snorted. "Eric, no offense, but this is my thing. It's my brother, this is a family discussion."

"If Alcide stays, I stay." Eric said, standing next to me. Alcide stepped forward, throwing his shoulders back.

"Okay, guys, testosterone is going to poison me." I said, putting a hand on his chest and another in Alcide's, and separated them a bit. Of course, because they left me, otherwise I would not have be able to move them an inch.

"Carrie, I ask you to come with us." Alcide said, his voice deep, staring at me. I swallowed.

"I'm a grown woman, Alcide, although you may not know it considering you have come looking for me like I was a girl who has run away from home." I snapped. "Let me be clear about one thing. I'll work where I please, I'll do what I please and I'll fuck who I please." I said, my eyes wandering between Alcide and Ethan. "And now I'm gonna go back to work, and you two are gonna go do whatever you normally do a Thursday night. And you're not coming back."

"Carrie, you're one of us." Alcide said. "We just want to protect you."

"I'm not one of you." I said, approaching him. "I've never been, even though we tried to deceive ourselves. You had to know it, you can smell me. I like Fangtasia. And I'm going to stay as long as I can. Stop humiliating me, and go."

"But..." Ethan began.

"Please." I said, but I looked at Alcide instead of my brother. He looked back at me and sighed, nodding. He reached into his back pocket and handed me a card.

"We're leaving, Carrie." He said. "But if you need something, anything." He said, briefly looking at Eric. "You call me and I will come for you."

"I don't think that's necessary..." Eric murmured and I hushed him. He rolled his eyes, but he shut up.

"Thank you, Alcide." I said, and he turned, surrounding the shoulders of my brother with his huge arm and away from there. I huffed and I turned to look at Eric, frowning.

"What?" He said.

"What a help you are!" I snapped. "Did you want a fight, or what? The only thing you and Alcide forgot to do is piss around me to mark territory!"

Eric laughed, shaking his head. "That's precisely why I decided to come. Because I've seen the desires of Alcide from inside the bar."

I bowed my head. "I don't know if it's because I'm so angry I can't think, but I don't follow you."

Eric raised his palms. "The wolf is attracted to you."

I blinked a few times without understanding. "Sorry, what?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "He wants to rip those expensive leather clothes out of you and make you little wolves. Carrie, are you not aware of how men in general look at you? Supernaturals in particular?"

I cocked my head to the other side. "Eric, I'm not in the mood, really. Come on, I have to go back to work or my boss will fire me." I stood still for a moment and turned on my heels to look at Eric. "Why the fact that, as you say, Alcide wants to sleep with me had brought you out? In what kind of world is a bad thing that a tall, dark, handsome and strong man wants to get laid with you?"

Eric smiled grimly.

"In my world it's a bad thing." He said, heading for the bar. "And I don't like that it seems good to you."

I raised my eyebrows, smiling and following him.

"Well, get ready to get really upset because more than good, I think it's awesome."

Eric gave me a sideways lethal glance and I laughed out loud.

* * *

_**AN: **__More Alcide in the next chapter, I promise!_


	8. Chapter 8: I Need Action

_**AN: **__Woah, guys. Really, thanks for all the follows and favorites, and the reviews! I say the same in every chapter, but- You're my lovely perfect readers! Thank y'all!_

* * *

_**Chapter**__** VIII: **__**I Need Action**_

_I put up no resistance_

_I need to stay the distance_

_I got an itchy scratch_

_I need assistance_

_Touch-a, touch-a, touch-a, touch me,_

_I wanna be dirty._

_- Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me, _The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

"You motherfucker!" I yelled. "Bastard… fucker… you… son… of…a… bitch!" I screamed as I kicked the boiler.

That morning I had gone to take a shower, needing it badly after a particularly hard night at Fangtasia, and I had met a splash of cold water, instead of that warm water so precious and loved. I had discovered that Saturday, as expected, Fangtasia collapsed to the point that people could barely move. Vampires accumulated dancing with fast and graceful movements while humans drooled around them, and more that one scene seemed funny to me. If somebody said again that they are the vampires who attack humans, I would laugh in their face. Humans couldn't look more eager! They were practically begging for a fuck and a bite, not necessarily in that order. And it was ridiculous the amount of people who came to Eric every night, trying to 'volunteer' to him. Men and women of all ages. Eric remained undaunted by their attempts, kneeling in front of him and everything, and every time I saw this, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You know him?" A girl with many piercings and short, tousled black hair asked me.

I smiled. "Sure. He's my boss."

"Wow, and you know him well? How is he?" Said the girl, her eyes wide.

"He's..." I said, and looked up, meeting Eric's gaze. He raised an eyebrow at me and made a subtle hand gesture, pointing his throne. Okay, I know how to take a hint. These people wanted me to tell them mysterious and intriguing things about vampires, not that he was 'a nice guy'. "He's unique. He has lived a thousand years, you know?"

The girl opened her mouth. "Really? And how it is to be with him every day?"

I looked up at the ceiling one second. "Well, he's unpredictable, and a little bossy, but is still the most interesting experience I've ever lived." I admitted. "Eric treats me pretty well. Not everyone can say that about him."

Ginger made a sound of disgust with her throat as she passed behind me. I smiled. Ginger was looking forward the day Eric would finally succumb to her charm, and the attention he lavished me lately disliked her, though what we did mostly was make fun of each other.

"So... have you been with him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. I smiled.

"Yes." I lied, smiling. "Everyone should sleep with a vampire at least once in their life. Although with Eric, once is not enough." I said, looking at Eric for a second. He didn't look at us, but I saw how he put his hand over his mouth to prevent us to see his smile. The girl bit her lip and looked back toward the throne.

"Mind if I go talk to him?" She asked. I laughed.

"He's a vampire." I said. "Not my boyfriend. Have fun."

The girl left with a nervous smile and I laughed heartily, addressing myself to serve a redheaded vampire who must be very young, because he seemed really disoriented.

At the end of the night, I left the room for employees with my jeans, my shirt and my old Converse, counting the abundant tips. God, I was going to make a fortune working on that place. With corsets and leather pants, every time I moved, a dollar fell.

"Good job." Eric told me, and I looked up, I had almost collided with him while I was immersed in my money ecstasy.

"Did you see?" I said, showing him the bills before putting them inside the wallet. "I think I'm your most prolific waitress."

Eric smiled. "It was clear when I saw that all clients were stacked on your side of the counter." He said and cocked his head, smiling. "Today has been one of the most profitable days of Fangtasia, and I have a slight feeling that's partly because of you."

I rolled my eyes, heading for the exit. "Oh, Eric, don't exaggerate. I'm just a waitress." I said, opening the door.

"I've heard that before." Eric whispered behind me, but I left without saying anything else.

I arrived home busted, my feet were hurting exaggeratedly because of the heels/torture machine to which Eric subjected me, and my back was killing me. I undressed and went to bed without doing anything else. And the next morning when I went for a relaxing warm shower, my boiler had stopped working.

I've never been a big fan of cold showers, so I thought I would devote to do some household chores and would try to take a shower later. In the end, it was Sunday and I hadn't anything to do.

I wore a skin-tight tank top and some shorts that gave me full mobility, the type that my brother would have disapproved. I don't know why, that thought made me smile. I hadn't heard from him since he had gone to Fangtasia with Alcide, and honestly, I was glad about it. Right now, Ethan was one of the people who most bothered me in the world. No matter how much I loved my brother, he had behaved like a jerk. Thinking it twice, we never really got along. We were too different, and most of time we were arguing. With a shrug, I pulled my hair in a bun at the crown and got to work.

I cleaned the bathroom, the kitchen and vacuumed. While I smoked a cigarette in the kitchen, I looked to the garden. The grass was growing, and was beginning to look run down. Rolling my eyes, I took the mower and went outside. The sun fell hard on me and I groaned, starting to move the machine through the garden.

"Buy a house with a garden, I thought..." I muttered as I paced back and forth, mowing the lawn. "Green grass is very nice, I thought..."

During my fit of repentance, I saw a maroon van arriving at my door. I stopped what I was doing and I put a hand over my eyes to see beyond my nose without the sun bothering me. A tall, dark, bearded man got out the truck, wearing a brown T-shirt and dark blue jeans.

"Alcide!" I exclaimed, waving to him. "Hi!"

Alcide approached me, smiling. "Hey there, Carrie. Ain't you gonna kick me out?"

I laughed. "Wasn't thinking about that, why? Have you done anything else? Have you burned Fangtasia down?"

Alcide laughed. "No, but I thought you'd still angry."

I shook my hand. "I'm still mad at Ethan. But I know he convinced you to go and if it wasn't for you, probably he would've transformed and Eric would've killed him. And the worst is that I couldn't blame him." I shrugged. "I'd give you a hug, but I hadn't stopped in all morning and I'm disgusting right now."

Alcide raised an eyebrow at me. "That's not the adjective I was thinking about..."

I laughed, motioning him with my hand to follow me as I turned around and headed home. "C'mon, let's drink something. Anyway I was thinking of making a break for lunch..."

"I'm not bothering you?"

I looked at him rolling my eyes. "Alcide, don't talk nonsense or you'll bother me."

Alcide chuckled and followed me inside to the kitchen. It was hot and when I took the first sip of the beer I grabbed from the fridge, after giving one to Alcide, I couldn't help but moan with pleasure.

"God, the best invention ever: beer. Sit down, Alcide." I said, as I sat on the couch in the living room. Alcide sat beside me while subtly looking around.

"Nice house." He said, raising his beer in my direction. I smiled.

"Well, it was like super cheap because it's away from the city and is small for a family. Just a room, and a bathroom, and upstairs, but I loved it." I said, shrugging. "I didn't want to end up living in a loft like Ethan, you know? I always liked to live in a house."

Alcide nodded. "Yeah, I understand. I thought the same when I came to Shreveport. Although, of course, I didn't come alone." He said, wincing. "But I also like to live in a house, though sometimes it's a little big to me."

I rested my elbow on the back of the couch and let my head rest on my hand. "You miss her?" I asked. Alcide shrugged, taking a sip of his beer.

"I miss the person she was, not who she became at the end." He said. "Sorry about how I reacted the other day at the vampire blood thing. Debbie was addicted to V and I wouldn't want you to end up like her."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Really? I didn't know there are wolves that drink V."

"You'd be surprised." Alcide said.

"Anyway, you don't have to worry about that." I said. "It was the first time in my life to drink it, and I didn't even know what it was. I haven't noticed any kind of longing as the effects have passed. But I'm alive, and that's what I appreciate."

Alcide nodded. "I understand. But be careful, ok? You wouldn't be the first girl who goes to work at a vampire bar and becomes an addicted to V fangbanger."

I laughed. "Alcide, before that I think it's necessary to be quite predisposed to, or be glamoured. And I can't, so..."

Alcide nodded, his hand stopping, the beer halfway his mouth. "They can't glamour you?"

I shook my head. "Nuh-huh. I don't know why, but no. Eric tried and failed." Alcide swallowed, staring at me. "You can tell Ethan, if you want. I imagine that he sent you here."

Alcide half smiled. "No, actually I don't think he'll like knowing I'm here." He said and frowned. "He's a little angry with me for force him out. And really angry with you for working at Fangtasia. Additionally, he's sure you have something with Eric."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that a subtle way to ask me?" I said. His lips lifted with a lopsided grin.

"Maybe."

"I haven't anything with Eric, except a healthy boss-employee relationship and I think a budding friendship." I said. "I like Eric: he's funny, sarcastic and unpredictable. Unpredictable, like a vampire, not fickle, like a werewolf."

Alcide laughed and it sounded like a bark. "You think I'm fickle?"

"No, but Ethan is, most werewolves are. You know, any other pack master, the other day, would've picked me up, would've put me on his shoulder and would've taken me. Lucky me, you're not like that."

Alcide leaned back on the couch. "Ethan is disappointed with me." He muttered. I knelt on the couch and leaned toward him, putting a hand on his leg for balance.

"He'll be fine." I said. "I know my opinion isn't as important as his to you, but if you had behaved like any other wolf, I wouldn't have looked at your face never again. And I wouldn't be fine about it."

Alcide turned to face me, our eyes met. "Where did you get that from?" He said. I looked to the sides, without understanding.

"What?"

"That your opinion ain't worth as much as Ethan's."

I smiled, shrugging. "Well, I draw on thirty years of friendship against one meal, one day, in which we ended up fighting."

Alcide bit his lip. "And yet, I couldn't bear the idea that you were mad at me the other day."

_Oh my fucking God_! Eric was right, Alcide was attracted to me. Now that I was paying attention, I could see his whole body language supporting that theory, his little smile, the way he looked at me... and only that was enough to make me giggle like a fool and get away from him, looking away.

"You know," I said, changing the subject. My body rebuked me, complaining about the distance. My head had recommended me to get away, but my body just wanted me to get closer to him, to touch him and to be touched. I was at a point where I didn't know if it was for the vampire blood, if it was for him or if it was for me. "Can you think of someone who works on Sunday and who can fix the boiler? It went to hell this morning."

Alcide raised his eyebrows. "Can I take a look?"

"Sure." I said, getting up and taking him to the kitchen, I opened the cupboard where the boiler was, crouching. Alcide crouched beside me and began to look at things I don't even know how they're called, I leaned a little into the closet, trying to see what he was doing with a frown. Alcide turned to face me in the time that I turned to him to ask him if he really knew what he was doing, and our eyes met, our noses touched. An indecent amount of inappropriate images began to march through my mind, many of them related to tear clothes apart and with those so incredibly large hands. I swallowed, looking into his eyes and looked away, back to the boiler.

"Do you have tools?" He asked, his voice muffled. "I think I can fix it."

I nodded and got up to get the tool box, thinking that perhaps not being able to take a hot shower didn't matter now. A cold one would be nice.

* * *

_**AN2: **__Here we got some Alcide/Carrie scenes… well, well… who you like better? Alcide or Eric? Who do you think is better for Carrie? In the next chapter, more Alcide, and some Eric. _


	9. Chapter 9: I'm Not So Naive

_**AN: **__Thanks for all the reviews, my lovelies! You must know that every review makes me smile and lightens my day, and I love to hear all your opinions. In this chapter I'll introduce you one of my favorite OC's, hope you like her! Now, let's go with the story!_

* * *

_**Chapter**_ _**IX: I'm Not So Naive **_

_I never wanted to say this_

_You never wanted to stay_

_I put my faith in you, so much faith_

_And then you just threw it away._

_- For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic, _Paramore.

Alcide had been in my kitchen for two hours, trying to fix the rebel boiler, and I couldn't tell which one of us was hotter. If he, who was sweating due to the heat going off the pipes and the effort to fix the damn thing, or I, seeing him, who, poor thing, was so hot that he had to remove his shirt. He was kneeling in front of the open cupboard, I didn't know anyone could be so well-built. His body was just perfect, there wasn't a thing out of place, nothing that could be improved, even the drops of sweat looked good on him.

"Okay, I give up." I finally said, and I approached him, crouching beside him. "What do you want me to do?"

Alcide raised an eyebrow at me. "What you mean? Wanna be my assistant?"

I nodded vigorously. "Yeah, you're Batman, I'm Robin, you're Harry and I'm Ron, Frodo and Sam, Rick and Daryl, you get it?"

Alcide laughed, shaking his head. "I get it, I get it..." he said. "What I don't understand is why."

"Because if I keep sitting there watching you here sweating shirtless I'm gonna suffer a spontaneous combustion, I rather have my hands full."

Alcide opened his mouth, a small smile spread across his lips. "Well, take care of the tools." He said, shrugging his shoulders and stooping to get under the boiler.

"Ok, tools, fine." I said nodding and sitting on the floor, leaning my back against the cupboard under the sink. Alcide laughed quietly.

"Carrie, you've always been pretty special, but over the years I think it had increased." He said, his voice muffled from inside the closet. "Wrench, please."

"If you want to call me weird, just say it, Alcide." I said, giving him a wrench. "I've never been much on subtlety."

"I said what I meant." He said, taking the tool, but instead of grabbing the wrench, he took my whole hand, and got out from under the boiler. He sat up slowly and looked at me from my legs to my face, I felt like a drop of sweat fell from my neck to my cleavage.

"Well, 'special' sounds awful to me it. Sounds like 'you're so strange that there isn't even a word to describe you'." I said, swallowing.

"No, when I say special, I mean you're unique in your species, in the best sense of it." He shrugged, his chest muscles contracted and I closed my eyes momentarily. "I always thought you were somewhat different from all of us." I rolled my eyes, but before I could say anything I felt his hand on my chin, lifting my face to look him. "When did you stop being Ethan's little sister to become such a beautiful woman?"

I took a deep breath through my nose. "I've never stopped being Ethan's sister. And I'm a woman since a long time ago. Perhaps the question you are looking for is why you weren't here to witness the change?"

Alcide half smiled and lowered his fingers from my neck to my collarbone. I thought briefly of raising my hand and grab his hair and pounce my mouth against his, take those jeans off him and get carried away right there on the kitchen floor. But it was a brief thought, because someone knocked on the door.

I closed my eyes, nodding.

"Fate has spoken." I said, getting up and leaving Alcide there, his hand suspended in the air and a sudden expression of guilt. Another knock on the door, more insistently.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, what a..." I said, but when I turned the corner I saw who was on the other side of the door and I screamed heartily.

"Carrie!" Alcide said from the kitchen, and I heard how he rose as I opened the door in an instant and threw myself into the arms of my friend Charlie, both screaming with joy. Her curly red hair got into my mouth, but I didn't care. "Damn, you scared me..." Alcide whispered, and we both turned to him.

"Carrie, you didn't tell me..." Charlie said with a raised eyebrow, then squinted, looking at the shirtless man with the wrench in his hand even more intently. "Wait a… Alcide Herveaux? Is that you? That kid with the big ears who always went with Ethan?"

Alcide sighed and raised his hand, holding the wrench, in a greeting. "Yes, that's me. And you are Charlotte Deveraux, the skinny redhead who always went with Carrie, right?"

Charlie gave him a smile full of white teeth. "That same lovely lady." She said. "Although I'm not skinny anymore..." she said, making a supermodel pose to make her breasts stood out. I gave her a smack in the nape of her head.

"Don't listen to her, Alcide. They are as fake as the wigs of _Twilight_."

Charlie elbowed me in the ribs, entering the house with her suitcase. I frowned, the suitcase was bigger than usual.

"Did I interrupt something?" She said, looking at Alcide from behind while he was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Yes, we all have our share of irritant friends in our life, Charlie was mine. She looked Alcide up and down and gave me a thumbs up, mouthing: "Oh my God". I pursed my lips, sighing through my nose.

"No, Charlie, don't worry." I said, looking at Alcide with the same face which what he was looking at me. "How big is that suitcase. How long will I enjoy your company this time?"

Charlie swallowed and smiled, though her sky blue eyes didn't look very happy.

"Indefinitely." She said. "The engagement has been canceled. It turns out that Dylan is cheating on me."

* * *

I served three plates with potato stew, Corbett's recipe, and brought them to the kitchen table.

"Um, yum." Charlie said, taking hers. "Your potato stew is the best in the world."

I smiled, sitting down with Charlie and Alcide. My friend had called all type of names to her ex while I nodded, handing tools to Alcide whenever he asked me. I didn't understand even half of what Charlie said, as she let out a few words in French, a legacy of his grandmother, and because the sentences were disjointed. I whispered to Alcide that he could leave whenever he wanted, but he was determined to fix the boiler before. And he did. The least I could do was giving him a hot meal as compensation. I had gone to take a quick shower and now I was wearing an apple green cotton dress, to the half of my thigh, and I had done myself a bun with my wet hair. I was in a hurry, I didn't want to leave Alcide much time alone with my psychotic friend. Now the kitchen was cool again (apparently it had a blockage in the water pipes and therefore it was overheating, or that's what I understood, though I'm not sure it makes sense) and the hunger made my stomach rumble. Charlie had slightly calmed already and we could eat like normal people.

"Can you tell me now what happened?" I said, putting the first spoonful in my mouth.

Alcide rolled his eyes. "Pardon the interruption, but Carrie, this is great."

I smiled. "Family Secret, but I'll make it to you whenever you want." I said. "Now shoot, Charlie." Charlie continued eating in silence. "Charlotte Caroline Deveraux, you better start talking." I commanded, pointing her with my spoon.

"Not much to tell." Charlie said, looking at me between her reddish eyelashes. "He was fucking Tina."

I raised my eyebrows. "Tina? As Cristina Lloyd, that Tina? The clerk at C&D?"

"Yeah, that bitch. I saw them making it in the dressing when they thought I wasn't there. I thought it would be two teenagers, so I went to kick them off... but they weren't two teenagers. They were my fiancé and my employee."

Alcide and I sighed, looking at Charlie.

"When you talk about Dylan, you talk about Dylan Carter, right?"

"Yes, Alcide, that one." I said. "And he's a wolf."

Alcide nodded, looking at Charlie.

"Yes, I know all about werewolves, blah, blah, blah..." she said.

"You couldn't eat him, or something?" I said, looking at Alcide, Charlie laughed.

"No, Alcide, don't eat him. He's full of shit."

Alcide smiled as he took a sip of his beer.

"Look, Charlie, I know that now everything looks horrible, but it will be okay... remember when I broke up with Mark." I said, smiling reassuringly. She rolled her eyes.

"Carrie, you broke up with Mark because he was boring and couldn't get a boner." She said and I choked with my beer. "You've never been in love... I don't want to offend you, but you don't know shit about what I feel. I've been dating him for eight years." She said, her eyes widening. "Eight! I've been with him since I was seventeen! He's the only man I've been with..." she said shaking her head. "Your longest relationship was with that Rastafarian who turned into a boar. And I think it lasted three months."

I smiled. "Ah, yeah, Johnny..." I said, remembering that guy. "I think we dated for four months, actually."

"Whatever." Charlie said. She sighed and I looked at Alcide, who looked at us with his lips ajar. I had forgotten he was there.

"Um, so..." Charlie said, looking at me. "Tell me about this vampire with the sexy voice you work with. My panties almost fell off when he picked up the phone."

My hand stopped halfway to my mouth, while I looked sideways at Alcide.

"He's my boss, Charlie. And I've already talked you about him on the phone..." I muttered, turning my head toward her and moving my eyes to Alcide to point at him with them without him seeing me. Charlie opened her mouth and nodded.

"Ooooh... yeah... it's true, you said he was..." She swallowed. "Super... boring and so... of course..."

I rolled my eyes and continued eating, not without dedicate an innocent smile to Alcide, who raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Well..." Alcide said, turning to look at me from the doorway, I held the door open. "It's been... interesting."

I laughed. "I bet you have a headache." I said, shrugging. He smiled.

"It's worth it." He said, stepping a little closer to me. He put his hands on my hips and looked into my eyes, I lifted my face to his, he was a head taller than me. "When I'm with you I feel great, Carrie. You're like..."

"Heroin?" I said, and he laughed. I gave him an innocent look.

"I wouldn't say that, but it's ok..." he said, tilting his head slightly toward me. I smiled while I tiptoed.

"Carrie! How the hell works your TV? There's no way to turn this bitch on!"

I turned my face towards the inside of the house when Charlie yelled, accidentally avoiding Alcide, who sighed and straightened up, letting me go.

"Fate has spoken. Again." I said, looking apologetically at him.

"Fate's an asshole." He said, turning to leave while I laughed. Before lowering the top step of the porch, he turned. "You really dumped a guy because he couldn't get a boner?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm very picky."

Alcide laughed and went away, I watched him walk until he got into his truck and drove off, a smile still dancing in my face. I closed the door and turned around, shouting:

"CHARLOTTE!" and headed to the living room, where Charlie fought with the TV remote. "I'm gonna kill you!" I said, pointing her with my finger. She jumped on the couch, raising her fists. Charlie was small and thin, but the miracles of surgery had gotten her a pair of big round boobies. I still remember how I died of embarrassment when I accompanied Charlie to the surgeon and she said she wanted a couple like mine. Although they looked huge on her, being shorter than me. Her curly red hair bulged a lot, which got her in high school the 'Sideshow Bob' nickname. Her pale skin was full of freckles, her eyes were blue, her little nose upturned and her lips thin. "He was going to kiss me!" I reproached her.

Charlie opened her mouth. "Alcide kissed you?"

"You think I'd be angry if he had kissed me? You and your screams and curses have distracted us!"

Charlie smiled, television had finally turned on. It started playing at a very high level _For a Pessimist I'm pretty Optimistic_, Paramore, and I rolled my eyes.

"You put the music, not the TV, you dumbass!"

Charlie raised an eyebrow at me and began to move her hips and shoulders, looking mischievously.

"Oh, no..."

"Come on, Carrie..." she jumped from the couch with a hair flip and said: "_So what did you think I would say, you can't run away, no you can't run away..._" she sang, approaching me. "Come on, Carrie! _So what did you think I would say, you can't run away, no you can't run away..._"

"_You wouldn't!_" I followed, and we danced like crazy while singing the song as loud as we could, jumping, lifting our arms and moving our hips. We used to get to this every time we met, but it used to take us more than two beers.

The songs kept going, and when we were listening to the fifth one, _Bad Apples_, Guns n' Roses, I heard the doorbell. I went over there bouncing as I turned on myself, with a beer in my hand (acquired in the third song).

"Alcide, if it's you you've ten seconds to make a run or you're gonna have to dance with us!" I screamed, and reached the door. In front of my white wooden door with a glass panel, I stood still. On the other side, was Eric, raising an eyebrow. I swallowed before opening with surprise.

"Will you force me to dance?" He asked, glancing at my green dress and my disastrous bun. I cleared my throat and I loosed my hair, blushing.

"I don't think I could." I said, going out to the porch.

"Can't I come in?" Eric said, glancing into my house over my head. I stood with my hand still on the threshold.

"My friend Charlie is home. She is having a difficult time. You can come in if you promise that you will behave yourself."

Eric smiled. "Don't I always?"

I rolled my eyes. "I think a 'no' falls short." I said, sighing. "Eric, would you like to come in?"

"With pleasure." Eric said, entering into the house, looking around. "So… adorable."

"Why do you do compliments that sound like insults?" I said, moving to his side.

He closed his eyes and inhaled. "Carrie, you smell especially delicious today."

"It's my new berries shampoo. You like?" I said, turning towards him. Eric rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean." He said. "Celebrating a party?" He said, pointing to the bottle of beer in my hand.

"Oh, more or less. Sorry I haven't anything to offer you. If you had warned me that you were coming, I would've bought some Tru Blood." I said, turning and starting to walk.

Eric smiled as he followed me into the living room. "No need, it will be a short visit, and I've already eaten." He said.

Charlie stood still when I turned off the music and she looked at me, then looked at Eric with raised eyebrows and open mouth.

"Was she blonde or brunette?" I said as I dropped on the couch, my dress fluttered around my thighs and Eric looked at my legs shamelessly.

"Both." He said, throwing a quick glance at Charlie, then turning his eyes to me again.

"You little vicious vampire..." I said, Eric chuckled. "Charlie, this is Eric, Eric, this is Charlie. Although in fact you've already spoken, so..."

Charlie gave him an awkward little wave and Eric a cold nod.

"God, guys, please, try not to be so charming with each other!" I said, rolling my eyes.

"My pleasure, Miss Charlotte." Eric said, though he said it looking at me.

"Sure..." Charlie said. "Same here."

"And Eric, what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"I need you to do something for me tomorrow." He said. _Of course_. I hoped the disappointment wasn't visible in my face. "I need you to see your brother and ask him about Tom Clearwater. It would be better if he doesn't know that I sent you. I want to check if your erratic theory makes some sense."

I snorted, covering my face with my hands. "Oh, Eric, you're killing me." I growled. "Can't I ask Alcide?"

"No." Eric said. "It will be easier that your brother tells you."

"I don't think so." Charlie said. "Alcide has spent all day here, and I think he's willing to tell anything he knows to Carrie..."

Eric's eyes sparkled darkly for a second. "What had Alcide made in here?"

"Fix the boiler." I said.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of human metaphor?"

I laughed out loud, I couldn't help, but Charlie looked at me with wide eyes, as if afraid that Eric ripped my head out for laughing at him. When I calmed down, Eric looked at me with his usual raised eyebrow.

"Eric, my relationship with Alcide is far way better than my relationship with my brother right now. In addition, he is the leader of the pack, if anyone knows anything, that'd be him."

Eric looked at me pursing his lips for a second, then nodded.

"Ok, Carrie." He said. "But don't spend more time with him than necessary."

I rolled my eyes as I stood up to accompany him to the door.

"Eric, if it wasn't because you are an ancient vampire and blah, blah, blah, I would say you're jealous." I said, opening the door. Eric laughed quietly.

"Carrie, jealousy is one of the strongest feelings." He said. "But I'm not jealous of Alcide."

"Oh." I said, frowning a bit. Eric reached out and grabbed one of the straps of my dress, it had slipped down my shoulder without me noticing.

"He is no threat to me." He said with a slight smile as he placed the strap. "I have to go now. That color suits you great."

I cocked my head until my cheek touched my shoulder, with a shy smile.

"Thank you. Charlie says I look like a sweet."

Eric smiled, his hand went from my shoulder to my collarbone, where he paced his fingertips.

"Indeed..." he whispered, and disappeared turning over the dirt from the entrance. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and went inside.

"They're gonna make me go crazy..." I said, sitting on the couch and lit a cigarette.

"It's just a question, but what the hell goes on in Louisiana?" Charlie said, her eyes wide. "Is there something in the air that turns men into disappearing-panties machines, or what?"

I laughed, letting go a puff of smoke through my mouth. "Essentially." I said. "Charlie, I don't know what to do with those two."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "You're single, so whatever you want. They seem predisposed." She said.

"Yeah, but I don't think either of them would deal very well with the idea of me sleeping with the other..." I said. "It's just that when I'm with Alcide, I think that no man can be sweeter and more handsome and… those arms! And I'm sure I like him better. But when Eric appears, I can't take my eyes off him, and he's so mysterious, so attractive and… those eyes! And I'm sure that there has never been anyone who could turn me on as much as he does." I looked at Charlie, sighing. "And one is my boss, and the other is the best friend of my brother."

Charlie nodded, giving a sip of her beer.

"I understand your pain." She said, looking at me. "There are two gorgeous men who are dying to sleep with me, and my decision is between the werewolf pack master or a thousand-year old vampire, both of them with sculptural bodies and possibly prodigious sex gods." She said, nodding. "Yes, Carrie. I feel so bad for you."


End file.
